The Winter's Sun
by SelfMadeMonster
Summary: [Soulmate AU Bucky/OC] It's not easy being the sole princess of Asgard when everyone knows you're adopted, but Elysia's making the most of it. Well she was, until one step around a corner changed her life for good. Now she struggles to control a force she doesn't understand and to make things harder, she shares a very unique bond with her soulmate.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers, only Elysia

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Golden Child**

The door to Odin's Vault opened with a creak and three small children cautiously made their way inside. Their eyes sparkled in awe as they looked around at the various objects that had been placed upon individual pedestals in the entrance of the large room.

The artifacts in the room meant something different for each child.

For Thor this entire room was a demonstration of how brave and fearless his father was. To be able to defeat and conquer this many enemies only further cemented his desire to be just like him. One day he would be the mightiest king that Asgard had ever seen.

Loki looked around the room and saw a glimpse of a future he desperately longed for. He could see himself fighting alongside Thor and bringing tokens back home as a reminder of the adventures they had been on.

Their thoughts were halted when a voice rung out through the room.

"Thor we're not supposed to be in here, we should leave before someone discovers us."

Thor resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he turned around to stare at the little girl that clung onto Loki's arm behind him. He had wanted to explore his father's treasure room, like any young boy would, but he couldn't help but think that it would have been easier for him to do if he had left his sister behind.

"Elysia you worry yourself too much" he said addressing the younger girl. "What father doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides it's not like we're going to touch anything, we're just going to look. There's no harm in looking at things."

Elysia huffed and a pout worked its way onto her face. She'd admit that at first she too had been eager to see what lied beyond the vast doors that they had never been allowed past, but doubt had quickly taken root in her heart once they actually managed to sneak inside. What if someone caught them? She did _not_ want to have to look Frigga in the eyes and see disappointment flashing back at her.

Elysia found herself in a difficult position. Odin and Frigga had been kind enough to take her in and raise her when her parents had passed and she did not want to cause them to regret their decision. On the other hand she also didn't want to risk agitating her brothers with continued cries of protest.

She spared a brief glance at Loki's face, taking in his look of wonder and decided that it wouldn't hurt if they stayed for a few more minutes. So she shut her mouth and clutched onto Loki's arm harder as she was led deeper into the room.

Upon seeing her acquiesce Thor smiled brightly and moved to continue looking at all the various treasures his father had obtained over the centuries. However Loki was more sensitive to his sister's feelings and tried to take her mind off of the possibility that they would be caught by one of their father's guards.

"So have you chosen a title for the naming ceremony yet?"

Loki's efforts backfired when a dark look passed across her face. Soon her eyes became glossy and Loki quickly scrambled to figure out the cause of her distress. "Hey now, what's the reason for these tears?"

Elysia looked up to see concern etched across his face and the sight only made her want to cry more. "It's just…" She looked for the words to explain, "It's just that I can't find a name. The ceremony is coming up and I can't find one worthy enough of a princess." Tears finally made their way down her cheeks as she finished voicing her plight.

By this point even Thor had made his way back to them and both brothers shared a look of complete loss. For them coming up with their own titles had been easy, in fact they had made a game of it.

As if on cue both boys turned to each other, eyes wide. "Aye Elysia, what if we play a game to help you pick one? That's the way Loki and I found ours" Thor said placing a hand on her shoulder. He couldn't stand it when one of them cried. As the eldest brother it was his job to make sure they were content at all times.

Seeing her tears stop and the questioning tilt of her head the boys decided to throw out ideas, hoping that she would take to one.

"There's the Goddess of Honesty."

"How does the Goddess of Fun sound?"

"Goddess of Kindness is a good one."

"I think you'd like being the Goddess of Flowers."

"Goddess of Friends wouldn't be so bad."

"What about the Goddess of Sweets?"

Both Loki and Elysia turned to Thor, Loki in bewilderment and Elysia in horror. "I don't want to be the Goddess of Sweets! The princess of the nine realms cannot be addressed as such, everyone would laugh at me."

Thor threw his hands up, "Well it's not like you would be pleased to call yourself Goddess of the Hunt, you are not a lover of violence remember? So we have to stick to gentler things."

She knew he was right and her shoulders deflated, "I won't ever be able to find a name in time."

Loki could no longer stand to see the dejected look on her face. He had to do something. "What if we were to share?"

The room went silent and Elysia stared up at him, her jaw practically falling to the floor. She couldn't believe what Loki had just offered. To share a title with someone was equivalent to binding yourself to them for the rest of your natural born life. There were soulmates on Asgard who wouldn't even do such a thing.

Thor stared at Loki in astonishment. He loved his siblings, don't get him wrong, but to share one's title of God or Goddess was not something that many did. In fact there had only been a handful of ones who had throughout all of Asgard's history and they had all been soulmate pairs.

"The God and Goddess of Mischief has a nice ring to it don't you think?"

The tears that filled Elysia's eyes were no longer of sorrow but of gratitude. "Loki I thank you truly, but I cannot take your title from you." The simple fact that he had offered made her feel cherished beyond belief. Loki had been so excited when he had told her that he had found the perfect name for his upcoming godly status, and she had agreed. Mischief was exactly what Loki was good at and it encompassed all of him in one perfect word. That's not even counting all the illusion magic that he had learned in the meantime.

Although Loki had been completely serious about sharing the title he knew that Elysia would most likely reject it out of principal alone. He had good faith that she would find a name to call her own, but until then, "Well you have my express permission to use it if the time comes and you still find yourself in need."

He had to take a step back when she threw herself into his arms. It was common knowledge that Loki was not particularly fond of sharing. However he found that Elysia was a frequent exception to that rule. Even though he loved Thor they were still vastly different from one another. Thor always opting to follow in their father's footsteps whereas he was more than content to stick by his mother's side and learn the softer ways of magic.

Elysia on the other hand was just like him. Preferring to stay by his side during Frigga's lessons, and always the first to demand peace in any situation. She had a calming presence that he often basked in. Not to mention the fact that she looked like him enough that they could actually pass as real siblings, with her midnight colored hair and pale complexion she was often referred to as his carbon copy.

The three of them began moving forward, happy that the problem had been temporarily solved. The further into the room that they walked the darker it got. Elysia's right hand released its death grip on Loki's arm and was came out in front of them.

Elysia closed her eyes and concentrated on absorbing a few of the atoms around them and molding it into light, just like Frigga had taught her.

That had been a truly exhausting lesson but well worth the effort. It was then that they found out Elysia had a natural affliction for not only absorbing the energy around them but also bending the molecules in various ways. One of her goals was to be able to absorb the molecules in the air and create water which she would then try to freeze into ice by manipulating the very same molecules.

It had taken her weeks to accomplish without mistake but in the end she had been able to do it.

Thor and Loki smiled warmly as they watched her create a ball of light within her hand. Their sister had always been a shy creature that often times felt inferior to others. Both of them hoped that as her magic progressed that her confidence in herself would as well.

* * *

Eventually they found their way to the eternal flame and stopped to marvel at it. The flame had been something that they read about during their lessons, but to actually see it in person was beyond their dreams.

 _Over here child._

Elysia's head whipped around at the voice, thinking that one of the guards had finally caught them. But to her surprise she saw no one. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She could have sworn that she heard someone…

 _This way child._

Thor and Loki were caught up in their own conversation about how they thought the eternal flame had come to be, not reacting to the sound in the slightest. A chill ran up her spine when she realized that she was the only one who had heard it.

Out of the side of her eye Elysia noticed a glowing blue light peeking its way around the corner.

 _That's it, over here._

Against her better judgement she slipped away from her brothers and slowly made her way around the corner following the light that was beckoning her. Located at the end of the hallway was a dark blue cube covered in engravings sitting atop its own pedestal.

This was the Tesseract, a powerful relic from a story that Odin had told them many times before bed. Elysia had not known that it had resided down in his vault room all this time.

The shining blue light that emitted from within the cube made it seem almost ethereal in a way, she found it to be mesmerizing. It drew her in closer and sure enough she reached out with her small hand to place it onto the frontal side of the beautiful object.

 _You will save us._

As soon as she made contact the spell was broken and she tried to jerk her hand off but something kept it there. Her magic started to flare in response to her panicked state, green sparks lashing out from where her hand was being held.

Elysia felt like she couldn't breathe. All she wanted was to run back to her brothers and never come back this place again. She started to gasp for air watching the cube with wide, terrified eyes.

 _There is nothing to fear, we will not hurt you. I'm so sorry child but you are the one we need._

The green color of her magic changed to a bright blue light before she felt a burst of something powerful rush into her. Everything slowed down, her gaze grew empty and became firmly placed upon the cube. She could hear the faint sound of someone calling out her name but couldn't quite make out who it was, it felt as though she were underwater.

* * *

Thor and Loki had been enjoying their dispute about what the eternal flame was really created for and Loki had gone to look down at Elysia, hoping to get her to side with him when he noticed she was gone. He knew that Elysia was not the type of child to wander off on her own, especially when they were sneaking around where they shouldn't be.

At his brother's sudden silence Thor turned to see what had quieted him when he noticed the same thing Loki had. The sharp sound of gasping kick started the boys into movement and without a moment to waste they were racing towards the sound.

Only for them to stop dead in their tracts at the sight of their little sister hovering in the air above one of their father's artifacts.

Thor went to start forwards but Loki held him back. He didn't want to startle her and make things worse. Although he didn't think things could get much worse than this. "Elysia…" he began, speaking softly. But before he could finish she was spun around to reveal golden eyes.

There was a blank look adorning her face. They had never seen anything like this. Eyes completely golden, the color overtaking her pupils.

Thor could not believe that he had taken his focus off of Elysia, even for a moment. It was his job to look out for her and he should have done so. Especially in a room full of war prizes from other realms. He prayed to the Allfathers, swearing that he would never make such a mistake again if they would just release his sister.

He didn't know it but Loki was thinking the exact same thing. He may not have been the oldest but Elysia was his little sister too and he had the same responsibility as Thor when it came to her.

Just as suddenly as she turned, whatever had a hold on her let go and she dropped to the ground. Both boys ran to her side quickly, ignoring the way the cube above them burned a violent blue before fading back to its original dormant state.

Straightaway Thor picked her up and rushed out of the very doors that they had so carefully opened only an hour ago with Loki on his heels. They continued to run towards the healers, praying that they would not be too late.

* * *

Typically Frigga would be in the middle of her lesson with Loki and Elysia around this time but her husband had requested that she sit in for a few of the negotiations he had to attend to. He had said something about needing her there to exude a calming presence but she had a feeling it was really because he wanted to spend time with her. Raising three children did not leave them with very much time to themselves.

Odin was sitting atop his throne as per usual and Frigga had taken her place to the right of it. She was actively trying not to show just how boring she found all of this, and she had to stifle her laughter when she saw her husband trying to do the same.

Suddenly the doors to the throne room were thrown open and one of the servants ran inside, eyes wide and out of breath. Odin stood at attention immediately, and Frigga feared the worst.

The last time someone had burst through those doors it was to warn them that they were about be under attack.

"Allfather, it's the princess!"

* * *

When Elysia came too everything was dark. Oddly enough she could see herself but nothing else around her, just a vast empty nothingness.

"Hello?" She tried to call out, halfway hoping that someone would answer her, but an echo of her own voice was all that returned. She tucked her hands underneath her arms and held tight. The dark was not something that she had ever been afraid of before but now she wasn't so sure if it was as harmless as she previously thought it to be.

 _Hello child._

Elysia jumped and started frantically looking all around. It was that voice again, the same voice that got her into this situation in the first place! Elysia could not be described as an angry child in any sort of way but she was definitely feeling frustrated when she failed to see what was speaking.

 _You can be calm now, no harm shall come to you here._

"Where am I?" Elysia demanded of the disembodied voice. She was trying her hardest to force commandment into her tone, trying to make whoever was behind the voice fear upsetting her. However she had never been good with being firm, it just wasn't in her nature to be anything but gentle.

 _We are resting within your mind. The strain of first contact proved to be too much for your young body and we had to intervene._

Elysia stopped and opened her mouth a couple times but no words came out. This voice was telling her that she wasn't really awake and instead was roaming around the empty confines of her own consciousness.

She felt some of the tension leave her body at the newfound knowledge. Surely she would be safe inside her own head. Now that she didn't have to fear for her immediate safety she had more pressing questions to ask. "Why did you not release me when I tried to separate myself from you?"

 _We are sorry that it has to be you but alas we have no hand in what fate decides. This road will be difficult for you little one, but never doubt in your ability to endure. Just remember that it's okay if you choose not to forgive us for this, for we understand._

"Forgive you for what?" Elysia asked confused. This voice wasn't making any sense. What had it done to her that was so bad that she would not be able to forgive it? And why had it evaded her question?

 _This weight which no one should have to bear._

Elysia didn't have time to reflect upon the sadness laced within the voice when a sharp pain resonated throughout her entire body causing discomfort to flare across her face as she grit her teeth.

 _For we have found that even stardust comes at a price._

That was the last thing she heard before she was once again plunged into complete darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Creation of Chaos**

Loki sat on the stone floor outside the healer's entrance while Thor paced back and forth in front of the large double doors. They weren't allowed inside, a fact that had not sat well with either one of them. It was worth mentioning that Loki had handled the exclusion from the room better than Thor had.

He was sure that the whole of Asgard had heard the various threats that had escaped Thor's mouth when they were refused entry to see Elysia.

The thundering sounds of footsteps alerted both boys to the arrival of their parents. Frigga had spared both her sons a glance, determining that they were quite alright, before she swept into the healer's quarters without a word.

Normally neither Thor nor Loki would want to look Odin in the eyes after disobeying him and have to explain what had happened. But they were too concerned over their sister to worry about their inevitable punishment. Yet when they looked into their father's eyes all they saw was fright, something that they had never seen in him before.

Odin reached out for his sons and only when they were both in his arms did he feel the smallest hint of solace. "What happened?" Although Odin's hold on the boys was gentle, his voice was firm. He doubted that anyone had spared the time to hear what had occurred to cause Elysia's current state, and he would not sit idly by while his daughter was injured.

Thor pulled back from Odin, understanding that he needed to put aside his fear and give his father the answers he was searching for. "We do not know, but we found her floating in front of a blue cube in your vault."

Odin's eyes widened and a new sense of dread engulfed him. He knew exactly what it was that Thor was talking about. Before either one of his sons could tell him anything else, a scream was ripped through the wooden doors that encased Elysia and all three of them winced against the sound. Odin let go of them and ran into the same room his wife had disappeared in.

Thor and Loki were left completely baffled. From the looks of things their father had known just what it was that Elysia had been found with, and based off of his reaction it didn't mean anything good.

Both boys had once again been left outside the room and before Thor could resume his pacing, Loki reached out and grasped ahold of his hand. "Elysia's going to be okay right?" Thor's eyes softened when he looked over at Loki, taking note of the way he was trembling as he kept their hands locked together.

Thor tried to be brave for his little brother, so he plastered on a small smile and poured reassurance into his tone, "She has to be. We swore it would be the three of us to the very end, remember?"

They would not let Elysia break that oath so easily.

* * *

In all her centuries Frigga had never felt such powerful magic as she had when entering healer Eir's rooms. It was so present and suffocating that she felt the urge to take a step back out of the vicinity. But her heart broke as she took in the scene before her, a real life image of what stories were made of.

Elysia laid face up on one of the tables, her small body illuminated by a soft golden glow. Her fingers twitched and ever so often a small moan would work its way past her lips. On her wrist resided a strange bracelet, one that Frigga had never seen before. It looked as though it had been molded to fit perfectly, not even the smallest of spaces remained between it and her skin.

Frigga tried to rush towards her daughter but Eir quickly reached out and halted her movement. "Lady Frigga you mustn't touch the child, it is not safe" Eir tried to speak calmly but trepidation still lingered in the air around them.

"What do you mean she is unsafe? She is a small child, she couldn't cause harm even if she wanted to." Under any other circumstance Frigga would have stopped and thought rationally about what Eir had said, but these were not normal circumstances.

Eir nodded towards one of her assistants, silently telling them to demonstrate what exactly it was that they were protecting their queen from. One of the healers in training stepped towards Elysia and reached a hand out to make contact with her arm. It was going well until the golden glow that surrounded Elysia burned bright and tendrils of light shot out and forced the healer away from the girl.

The strange energy around her daughter would not let a single soul near. It was almost as if this magic was protecting her. Frigga couldn't help but find the thought ridiculous, surely whatever it was would be able to recognize that no one in this room wanted to harm Elysia.

"The more we try, the harder it pushes us away." Eir went on to explain, at a loss for what to do.

Frigga's hands sparked a soft green and she removed herself from Eir's hold. To her the solution was simple, "Then we push back." The women moved out of Frigga's way, knowing better than to stand between a mother and her daughter. The closer that Frigga got, the brighter the gold color grew, until she was standing right beside Elysia.

She reached out, and as expected was met with resistance. In response she threw more of her own magic out in an effort to keep the foreign energy contained. Frigga's smile grew as she was able to reach closer and closer, until finally she pressed forward and laid a hand on her daughter's face.

That's when the screaming started.

* * *

Frigga did not know what to do. Should she try to sooth her daughter, or risk letting go? What if she let go and was unable to make contact again? She could clearly see that it was her touch that had set Elysia off, but every instinct in her would not allow her to unhand her child.

Green and gold clashed violently, a physical representation of the struggle in the room. One hanging on for dear life and the other trying hard to escape. The colors would have been beautiful had they not been born from such dire circumstances.

"Do not touch her!" All were startled by the yell that had come from Odin as he barged into the room. He didn't take the time to look at what was going on around him, focused solely on the placement of Frigga's hand. Without breaking stride he walked through the pulsating storm of magic and removed her hand.

Immediately Elysia's screams faded into small groans as sweat began to gather on her forehead. Clearly the skin to skin contact had taken a toll on her. Odin wasn't surprised, especially considering what it was that now resided in her veins.

"She absorbed part of the Tesseract."

The room went dead silent at Odin's admission and every head turned to stare at the prone girl in either horror or pity. The mood in the room dropped, every healer was now convinced that the princess would not survive through the night.

The Tesseract was the keeper of the Space stone and every creature in the galaxy knew that no one could contain, let alone touch, a stone and survive. In fact they believed it was a miracle on its own that the princess was still alive in this very moment.

Frigga felt as though she had been dropped in freezing ice water. _No. No this could not be. Not her daughter._ Her thoughts ran rampant in her panic, not wanting to believe that her child's life would soon be snuffed out. She desperately grappled for any inkling of hope, "If that is the case then how is she still alive? She must not have had direct contact with the stone, or she must have some natural kind of immunity." Maybe her already existing magic was helping to counter the effects of the stone.

"I do not know. But we mustn't touch her, we do not know the consequences just yet."

"You cannot expect me to stand here and let her go through this alone." Frigga could not believe what she had just heard. She knew all too well that a cruel streak existed within in her husband, time of war had revealed that, but she never would have thought that it would extend towards their children. She refused to stand for it.

Odin's eyes softened as he gazed upon his wife. She misunderstood him, what he said was for Elysia's benefit. If he could change this than he would have, but there was nothing more that he, nor anyone else could do. He just needed Frigga to come to the same realization. "There is nothing you can do my love. This is a battle she must fight on her own, just pray she is strong enough."

It was part of their way of life to pray to the Allfathers, something that Frigga had never once questioned, but in this moment it seemed like doing so would be pointless.

* * *

A few agonizing hours later the soft golden glow that surrounded Elysia's body slowly began to sink into her skin, almost as if it was becoming one with her. Her moaning ceased and her body grew still, not even her fingers twitched.

Everyone held their breath, fearing that this would be the moment when the princess of Asgard would be no more. The small princess who had stolen all of their hearts, with her dimpled smile and gentle nature.

Odin and Frigga prepared to mourn their daughter while Thor and Loki were unaware that their trio would soon become a duo.

One of the healers reached out to lay her hand on Elysia's forehead, intending to wipe away the sweat that had gathered there, assuming that the danger had passed now that she was no longer glowing. But as soon as she made contact a tingling sensation bloomed in her arm. She looked down to see her hand rapidly aging before it began crumbling to dust. The feeling spread and the woman let out a scream as she quickly withered away into nothing.

The others watched in a horrified silence, not daring to breathe.

Elysia's eyes shot open taking in her surroundings, growing more panicked as she realized where she was. She turned her head to the side and noticed Odin and Frigga standing off not too far from the table. Relief hit her swiftly and she reached a hand out towards her mother, wanting nothing more than to be held. It was the look of terror plastered across their faces that stopped her mid reach. She was completely unaware of the fact that she had just sucked the life force out of someone.

"Mother…"

Odin's arms tightened around Frigga when he felt her try to move towards their daughter, not wanting to take the risk of Frigga forgetting what had just happened and try to embrace the little girl. It near broke his heart to see the confused despair in Elysia's eyes as she watched him hold her mother away from her.

"Mother please…" Elysia continued to beg her mother to come to her, wanting the comfort that she knew she'd receive from her. But before Frigga could react, Eir reached out towards the console and slammed her hand down causing a barrier rise up around the table, trapping Elysia inside a dome.

The effects were instantaneous. Elysia begun crying and pounding her fists against the barrier, trying so desperately to escape the small space, all the while she began screaming out for Frigga.

Frigga couldn't remove herself from the steel grip that Odin held her in. All she could do was slump in his arms and cry along with her daughter, feeling like the worst mother in the universe for being unable to even hold her child when she was so clearly afraid.

The more distressed that Elysia got, the brighter her eyes became until they were completely overtaken by the golden color that once engulfed her body. Faces stopped being faces and people became colors instead. Odin turned into a vicious dark blue blob, while Frigga turned into an array of soft sage. The two opposite colors reaching out towards one another and intertwining in some semblance of a dance.

It didn't make any sense to Elysia. How could there be colors where people once stood? And why couldn't she turn it off? She tried blinking and she tried rubbing her eyes, but it was to no avail. The colors remained and her fear grew to new heights.

The voice from earlier echoed in her head as she continued to cry out.

 _This weight which no one should have to bear._

Her voice was being rubbed raw but it still didn't deter her. She wanted out, and she wanted out _now._

 _This weight which no one should have to bear._

The pressure in her head increased and her hands ached, but still she hit the barrier, as though it would collapse through seer will power alone.

 _This weight which no one should have to bear._

Her mother and father stood and watched her, she had no idea where her brothers were, and every healer in the room gazed upon her as if she had brought Hel itself to Asgard.

 _This weight which no one should have to bear._

There was a foreign feeling that arose within her chest. It felt like it was trying to claw its way to the surface, and Elysia was terrified of it. What had that voice done to her? Everything had been fine this morning and now her own people were afraid of her.

 _This weight which no one should have to bear._

 _This weight which no one should have to bear._

 _This weight which no one should have to bear._

She gave up on trying to break through the protection shield and brought her bruised hands to her head. The voice was on repeat, it was unrelenting and overbearing, and she just _wanted it to stop_. There was a warmth coming from her hands and she brought them in front of her to inspect them. She didn't have to wait long to discover the problem.

Her hands, her small pale hands, had been engulfed in a burning golden light. It was shooting out at every corner of the shield, looking for a way out. Every time it hit the covering above her, the people in the room would flinch, as if they were frightened that she would break free from the confinement.

Chaos.

It was complete and utter chaos and it showed no signs of stopping.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Clipped Wings and Broken Things**

Once when Elysia was nothing more than a young babe, she experienced what was called a panicked episode. Thor, Loki, and her had decided to play a game where two of them would hide and the other had to find them. Once it was Elysia's turn to go searching for her brothers she came up empty handed. She searched for what seemed like hours but neither brother turned up. Fearing the worst Elysia plopped down to the ground and, for lack of a better word, panicked. However at the sound of her wails both boys came running.

The whole thing was less than pleasant, what with the whole oxygen being sucked out of her lungs, the walls closing in, the blurry vision, and the sound of her own heartbeat going off like a gong. These also happened to be things that she thought she'd never experience again.

But as she laid there, underneath that shimmering barrier she realized she was wrong. Only this time that feeling came back amplified, because this time there really was danger. And it wasn't the kind of danger that anyone could protect her from, instead everyone was acting like they needed protection from her.

She tried to calm down, truly she did, but it just wasn't working. She felt frightened and oh so alone. Elysia had been so relieved when she woke up to see that she was indeed in familiar territory, not stuck in the darkness that was her mind. Seeing her mother standing there had reassured her that this time she was truly awake.

And then Odin had held her back. He pulled her mother towards him and refused to let go. Why didn't he want Frigga to come and comfort her? Why didn't he want her to come near?

Elysia was unable to dwell on either question for too long when the barrier had slammed up around her, isolating her from her family. The idea of being trapped had sent her straight into an episode that she swore she'd never have again, and soon she lost herself and let it take over.

What threw her out of it was the sound of hands slapping down against the topside of the barrier. Startled she opened her eyes and saw two sets staring back at her.

One a brilliant green and the other a gleaming blue.

* * *

They had heard her crying out and could no longer wait for someone to remember that they were still awaiting news of her condition. Neither boy could handle the muffled sounds that they were hearing from her and Thor lost it, running up and throwing the doors open to reveal Elysia screaming and kicking under one of the protection barriers that was generally used to prevent the spread of disease.

The sight stopped Thor in his tracks, not understanding what it was that he was seeing. Loki on the other hand had eyes only for Elysia and rushed towards her, wanting nothing more than to take her into his arms.

By the time Elysia regained focus, Loki and Thor both had their hands plastered across the see-through barrier that enclosed her. Every adult made a move for the two princes, believing their lives to be in danger, only to stop as they watched the golden tendrils recede.

Loki began softly murmuring that she was going to be just fine now that they were there and Thor started cooing at her gently, each trying to comfort her in their own unique way. They continued to do so until Elysia's tears dried up and her breathing fell back into a normal pace

Slowly she raised her hands up to place them in the exact spot as theirs. Now that her brothers were here they would let her out. She gazed up at them with wide doe eyes and quietly pleaded with them, knowing that they would be able to read between the lines. "Please..."

Thor raised his head and made eye contact with his father, asking him the silent question. When he received a downcast look and shake of the head, his heart broke a little. As he looked back down he could tell that the answer was written across his face by the way that Elysia deflated.

Loki tried to salvage some kind of light at the end of the tunnel, "But we'll be right here, we won't leave you okay?" If they had it their way they would have been by her side from the very beginning, not waiting outside uselessly.

This wasn't supposed to happen, not to her. If him and Thor had just listened to her earlier and left the vault, then none of this would be happening right now. The sight of his small distraught sister hurt him in ways that he couldn't even describe.

And now as he stared at their hands, separated by force, he knew that if it were possible he would take her place. But he couldn't, and even though that was a hard truth to swallow he had to accept it. So what he could do was be there for her and let her know that him and Thor would not leave her again.

* * *

The adults had been stunned into silence, but none more than Frigga. She didn't understand how her sons could calm the magic that had built a home inside her daughter, while she had only further agitated it. Many things about this situation weren't adding up, mainly how it was that Elysia was still alive. Despite wanting to believe that this was somehow a miracle Frigga knew that such things did not occur. Miracles did not exist, but fate did and Frigga believed in that.

It was no accident that her daughter still lived, but such a thing always had a price. And some prices were too high to pay. Seeing that her sons were fine she escaped her husband's hold and walked over to them, laying a hand down besides theirs, letting her daughter know that she was there as well.

Odin stood up straighter and made his way to his family, daring anyone to try and stop him. Instead of placing a hand atop the barrier he opted to stop at the top of the table, making sure that he could make eye contact with Elysia. He didn't want to do this, but keeping the truth from her would do no good.

It was not his intention to scare her or make it seem like this was somehow her fault, but she needed to know why none of them could come near her for the moment and why she was being isolated.

It would be heartbreaking for all involved, but it would be necessary.

* * *

Elysia felt as though she would be ill. How could this have happened?

She killed someone.

 _She sucked the life out of someone._

She didn't know how to deal with any of this. She was only 190 years old, still a young child, much too young to have to worry about whether or not she was a danger to others. She didn't know how to comprehend what it was exactly that Odin was trying to tell her. She understood the logistics of it, but not the cause nor the reason.

The more that he spoke, the more that Elysia wanted to go back to the dark nothingness of her mind. At least there she didn't have to be concerned with hurting anyone else. There the realities of life were not quite so savage or overbearing.

There was something inside her, something that paced back and forth along the edge of her consciousness. And it wanted to be free; it wanted to jump off that cliff into the unknown, where a whole new world awaited. Elysia felt like she was carrying a force within her and it was changing who she was at her very core.

She knew that she should be horrified at what she had done, what the magic had done, but she wasn't. She was grateful that it had taken the loss of that woman for them to isolate her, which in turn protected everyone else.

The sacrifice of that woman had secured the safety of her family.

Elysia was disgusted with herself. She hated violence and yet here she was being thankful for it. Truly whatever it was that was inside her was a monster. But through all the confusion one thing was glaringly obvious. The voice had been right in its parting words to her.

She would never forgive it for this.

* * *

The Odinson family had bided their time while Eir and her team of assistants worked around a now silent Elysia. After Odin's recounting of events the girl had practically disappeared into her mind, shutting herself off from the others. No amount of soothing words or sounds would draw her back, for all intents and purposes Elysia had let her mind wander far off.

Eventually Odin and Frigga understood that what she needed was simply time to process what had happened over the past couple of hours. The boys on the other hand would not give up in their pursuit to bring her back, determined that she was not too far gone yet. It was difficult for the parents to watch their children in this state, and both had to walk over to Eir just to have a brief moment of reprieve from the saddening sight.

While the royal family had been comforting one another Eir had taken it upon herself to begin running various tests, making sure to follow every safety protocol there was just in case. With every diagnosis that came up the more pieces to the puzzle were coming together, forming the entire picture and ending a part of the mystery.

"She's absorbing the energy around us at an incredible rate. These scans are showing that there seems to be no form of energy that is inaccessible to her. However there is something that's blocking her from taking it all in."

Eir's statement gathered the attention of all in the room except for Elysia, who was still doing her best to disappear back into a blank mental state. At the new revelation the confusion in the room seemed to double.

"All energy in existence? That's not possible."

"What do you mean something's blocking it?"

Odin and Frigga both spoke up at once with the speed and ferocity of a worried parent. Eir sighed and tried to answer their questions to the best of her ability, which was hard seeing as how she didn't quite understand all of this herself.

"With the way that these scans are measuring her energy input and output," Eir moved the screen over so that Odin and Frigga could see it as well, "the princess should keep absorbing energy without stopping. She has no training on how to filter it herself and the sheer amount that she has at her disposal should, in every version of reality, kill her." Before the two of them could start up a whole new round of frantic questions, Eir continued, adamant that her explanation be allowed to come to its conclusion. "And that is simply because there is no non-living nor living thing in the entire universe that could handle this sheer force of unfiltered energy."

It was a horrifying thought to know that such a small child was now burdened down with something that not even a full-grown immortal could handle.

Frigga could barely believe her ears. There was something about this that was seeming familiar, but she could not remember no matter how hard she tried. She could feel it on the tip of her tongue but when she opened her mouth the words failed to form. Out of the corner of her eyes she noticed something on the scan that intrigued her.

The energy outside Elysia's body was burning brightly but as soon as it got to her wrist it dimmed. She turned and looked at her daughter's wrist, noticing for the second time that there was a foreign bracelet located at the sight of the dimming energy. If Frigga's newly found suspicions were right than it was the bracelet that was acting as a mild blockade. Worried that if she brought it to Eir's attention that the woman might attempt to remove it, Frigga kept silent.

Eir remained completely unaware of the epiphany that had just struck Frigga. "You mentioned that her natural affliction was absorption magic and it seems that when she touched the Tesseract her magic flared unintentionally, resulting in her taking in part of the stone's essence. Since it didn't kill her on first contact it bonded with her somehow and amplified her natural abilities." Eir emphasized the somehow portion, understanding that they wanted answers but not having any valid ones to give. "At the rate that this is expanding I would say that if she were to truly concentrate, she could in effect use the energy she takes in." She took a pause in a brief moment of silence, "That's what happened to one of our healers, her life energy, her essence, was absorbed through direct skin contact."

Now came the hard part, the part that Eir did not want to bring up. "It is my express recommendation that until she can control whatever this is that she not have physical contact with others, lest she finds that she cannot control herself and another loses their life as a result."

* * *

Wake up, eat breakfast, run more tests, visit her family through another barrier, eat dinner, practice with Frigga, and go back to sleep.

For three weeks this was the only schedule that Elysia knew. Sure she got to see her family, which was nice, but it was always through a barrier and never could she touch them. Even during her lessons to control the awful energy with Frigga she was not allowed to be in the same room as her.

The days begun to blend together and she longed for just a fleeting touch with another, a simple brush of the hand would have sufficed. But Eir still deemed her too unstable and Elysia was left to stay within the confines of the room provided.

The voice had yet to return but still every night Elysia would beg the open air around her for just a moment longer with it, just to ask it a few questions that she desperately needed answered. It seemed like this night was going to be just like all the rest, unsatisfying and unfulfilled. Elysia was tired and her body ached from her lessons, giving up for the night she went to her bed and laid her head down in preparation for sleep.

Then in the span of moments it was like ice water had been tossed in her face and Elysia was thrown back into darkness, scrambling towards the light that was quickly fading away. It felt like she was falling without the actual falling. The feeling of her bed was ripped out from beneath her and she was suspended in air as the last of the light finally died out.

At first the darkness scared her, but it also provided a vague sense of familiarity and accomplishment soared in her veins. She had done it, somehow she had made it back to the place where she first spoke to the voice.

 _It appears that you were searching for us little one?_

Elysia startled when it began to speak and she had to clear her throat in order to form the words that she had been holding in over the past few weeks. "Ye- Yes I wanted to speak with you" she tried to muster up enough confidence to sound as though she were in charge of this discussion, after all that's what Odin had taught them to do in cases that involved negotiations. It was always 'stand tall and proud for you bear the mark of royalty, and neither a king nor queen bows to those below them'. Elysia hated that saying, she didn't feel like she was better than anyone, in fact she liked to think that they were all on an equal footing.

However she had quickly learned that Odin was not so appreciative of such thinking and preferred it when she listened without question, something he liked everyone to do. "I would like answers to hold to my current affliction."

 _We feel that we should warn you now that this will be the last time we will be able to speak for quite a while, so make wise use of your time young one._

Elysia's cheeks heated up, well that would certainly put a damper on her plans. How was she to know which questions she needed to ask? What if she accidentally forgot one? "Okay then..." she muttered underneath her breath. All she had to do was prioritize which ones were the most important. Suddenly she knew just where to start.

"Everyone says I should have died but I did not. In fact everyone except for you was surprised that I even woke up, why did I not perish from touching an infinity stone?"

 _You were chosen._

Elysia felt like pulling her hair out of her skull. This voice had to be jesting with her, surely it didn't expect her to be content with such an explanation. "But I am asking why. Why did this happen and why did it happen to me?"

 _There was a being long ago, much before your time, and it knew all. Everything that you could possibly imagine, the future, the past, the present, and all in-between. Some have called it a god, and it seemed fitting. After all, what other name would be appropriate? However that being said, we were never truly in need of a name._

At first Elysia was very confused, she had asked for answers not a story. But during the slight pause she realized that this was its way of telling her why. For some reason it thought it necessary for her to understand this before she understood why any of this had occurred.

 _This being was all that there was... but it was also alone. And being alone is a hard weight to carry. There was a stipulation, a requirement if you will. In order for life to be created the being would need to cease to exist, the price to pay for companionship was death. So it split itself into six different stones wanting so desperately not to be alone anymore that it would do anything. Though before the split there was something that caught its eye in the distant future._

Even though there was no physical body in front of her, Elysia found herself leaning forward in anticipation. The story was starting to become interesting with the sudden turn.

 _It saw that there would come a day when someone would come along and misuse its power, but there would be nothing that the stones could do about it. Nevertheless there was also said to be one pure of heart who could be trusted with the highest of powers. With a clear mind the split occurred and the stones watched the universe create and destroy, all while awaiting the one person that would save it._

By this point Elysia was completely entranced with the tale, feeling the urge to shed tears at the pain that the first being must have felt and she wanted to thank it for the sacrifice that it had made because she doubted that anyone had ever done so before. She was still so terribly angry at the voice for whatever it had done to her, but the sorrow in its tone caused some of that anger to chip away.

 _The very moment that you were conceived the stars fell into alignment and it was revealed._

The minute that Elysia realized that the voice was talking about her she froze. That couldn't be right, she was nothing more than a child, certainly not prepared to save whatever this thing thought she was supposed to.

 _But you came to us too early and your body was not ready to handle the power that you are destined to wield. Interference was necessary as was predicted and the bracelet was interwoven into your skin._

Elysia's eyes flew down to the silver bracelet that rested on her wrist and she begun trying to pry it off. She thought that maybe if she could just get it off she could ask the voice to choose someone else, however the jewelry was really snug and didn't seem willing to budge.

 _Calm yourself child. That bracelet is our protection bestowed upon you. It was forged from a piece of the body of the first being as a precaution, it is not something that can ever be removed. It will do you no harm; it will only readjust your cells to accommodate the small amount of energy you can take in at the moment._

And just like that her hand jerked off of the bracelet, now praying that she hadn't in some way loosened it. Elysia resisted the urge to pout, the voice should have started with that, not waited until she was trying to take it off. She wouldn't have messed with it if she knew that it was for protection against something so serious.

 _Listen to the story of the girl with starlight in her veins and you will understand one day._

Elysia's mind was reeling. She didn't want to have to save anything, and she certainly didn't want whatever it was that the voice had deemed her honorable for. But before she could voice her protests the voice continued unprompted.

 _When the day comes to choose between the dirt and the stars, take care to keep your feet on the ground._

There was a soft warning embedded in those words and she would be lying if she said it hadn't scared her. The voice had said a lot of things she hadn't liked, but not once had it ever been foreboding. But there was something more to the statement.

Something ancient trembled within her at the words, bringing her a clear message that stated that this was not to be forgotten.

 _Elysia Gunnarsdottir you will have to make many sacrifices, but it has been written, in the end you will know a happiness that will rival no other._

The very word "happiness" made her think of her soulmate. The soulmate that had yet to be born. Elysia subconsciously rubbed the spot on her right wrist where one day her soulmate's first words to her would reside. Elysia would be happy once she had her prince, or princess, she wasn't really picky about that part just so long as they were hers.

"Please" Elysia tried begging one last time, hoping that it would sway what she now figured was an infinity stone into choosing another so that she could go back to her previous life. The life that she had taken for granted, the life where she could touch the people she loved and who loved her in return, the life where she could leave the palace and gaze up at the constellations. The life that she wanted back. "Please there must be another who is more suited than I."

 _Little one this was written in the stars, this is fate and it cannot be changed. In time you will come to see this._

Everything went dark and the next thing Elysia knew she was shooting up out of her bed, wide awake and fists clenched so hard her nails were biting into her skin. No matter how many times it would happen she would never get used to the feeling of that abrupt departure.

Elysia looked down at her hands, now understanding what it was that flowed through her. Had there been a mirror in the room she would have seen the specks of gold that twinkled in her eyes. Slowly the energy was becoming hers to the point where there would be no difference between the two; it would be as if the energy had been with her since the day she came into the world.

Though she was young Elysia knew one thing for certain, the stone had made a vital mistake because it had forgotten the most cardinal truth there was.

You never tell a goddess what her destiny is, for they have been known to defy them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Hold on Tight**

After that enlightening conversation Elysia was more bound and determined than ever to get control over the power she now contained. It was clear that the stone would not reverse what had been done and there wasn't anything that Elysia could do about it. At this point the only thing she truly wanted was to be able to be released from her imprisonment and allowed physical touch with others.

That was the worst thing about it all, that she could only touch what was provided in the room. Elysia had never been a particularly clingy child, occasional she would hang onto her brothers when something frightened her but beyond that she was very self-reliant. However she knew that as soon as she was "free" she would grab ahold of them and never let go.

People needed touch, it was a vital thing that many took for granted. To be deprived of it was serving to make her go mad. She never knew that there could be such an intense longing for a simple hand to hold, or the slightest brush of her fingertips against another's. Every time Thor and Loki would come to visit her the three of them would sit on the floor, separated by that awful barrier, and place their hands together as if they were actually touching. She appreciated the gesture, but there was a hollow ache in her heart every time they did it.

She had just finished her lesson for the day with her mother, they were practicing her holding objects without absorbing their energy, when her brothers came barreling into the waiting section. "Elysia you will never guess what father has just decreed!" Thor's cheeks were a bright rosy red, indicating that the boys had run all the way down here after their own lessons.

Frigga chuckled as she watched her children. How wonderful it would be to be young again and able to find joy within the smallest of things. Watching them as they were now, it was almost easy for Frigga to forget where they were exactly and why they were here.

Elysia walked closer to the barrier and took her place, hands raised and fingers splayed out as her brothers mirrored her actions without a second thought. "I have not seen you this excited for quite some time Thor, what did father do?"

Thor looked down at Loki, noticing him bouncing up and down on his heels in his excitement. "Loki, would you like to do the honors?" The blinding smile that overtook his younger brother's face let him know that he had made the correct decision.

"Father has decreed that the naming ceremony shall only occur once you are able to attend!"

Elysia's breath caught in the back of her throat. She didn't dare to believe it at first, surely she was not this lucky. A million thoughts raced through her head as she tried to comprehend what this meant for her.

"Well everyone has already chosen, but our ceremony will only be held when you're better." Thor felt the need to clarify slightly, hoping that the first part of his news would not cause her grief. While Odin had indeed postponed their ceremony, he had chosen not to change the date of the simple one where the other children would choose their titles during lessons.

The only reason for an actual naming ceremony was when it involved the royal children.

Elysia's eyes were soft when she gazed at both boys, and they felt immediate relief. If she had started to cry that would have complicated things, seeing as how they could not comfort her in the way that they wanted to. She had been gaining more control and Eir had been hopeful that she would be able to be released in the coming weeks.

Elysia had wanted to lay down and cry it all out, maybe even pretend that the whole thing was just a long nightmare, but she knew that the longer she wallowed in self-pity the longer she would remain isolated. Frigga had sensed the conflict within her daughter and had given her a push in the right direction, something Elysia was extremely grateful for.

" _I know that it hurts at the moment and that you must want to look for a way out, but darling as much as I hate to tell you this Eir has not found a cure and is not likely to. You must move on with life because life will move on without you. So let it hurt, let it rage and let it burn, then let it go."_

Without her mother's words she might not have had the will to pick herself back up. However it was only after her conversation with the stone that she was truly willing to begin to let this wound heal. Elysia didn't want to be destined for anything, so she was determined to live her life the way she wanted, without dwelling on what was apparently fated.

"Yes, your father and I spoke about it at great lengths and determined that it would be wholly unfair to hold the ceremony when not all of you could be in attendance." It had been surprisingly easy for Frigga to talk her husband into the idea, knowing that he held a soft spot for the child he called daughter. "And now this gives you more time to choose which title you would like to possess." Frigga sent a sly wink to her children upon seeing their shocked faces, letting them know that mothers know all.

Elysia's face heated up and she quickly changed the subject by asking her brothers about their day. The three of them got lost in their own world as they talked about what they had learned during lessons and the tales that had been told about their history.

"Speaking of tales," Elysia looked over at their mother in anticipation, "would you tell us a story please?"

Loki and Thor's faces brightened but they tried to damper it slightly, wanting to seem like they were too old to ask for stories even though they loved them just as much as their younger sister. Frigga knew better but tried to humor them anyway. "What story would you like to hear today my darling?"

There was a slight pause and Elysia glanced down at her hands, debating whether or not to ask. "...Can you tell us about the story of the girl with starlight in her veins?"

Frigga glanced over at her daughter in surprise. That was a story that she herself had heard when she was a child, she hadn't thought that her children would have known about it, but she supposed that children spoke amongst themselves and that they had heard rumors. "I suppose that it would make for a good story, but it has been awhile since I've heard it, so I might have forgotten some of it."

The boys had been intrigued, this was a story they hadn't heard before, and such a thing was rare. When your parents were the Allfather and Queen there was no shortage of bedtime stories full of excitement and adventure at their disposal. Frigga began to spin the story, trying her best to remember it the way her mother had told it to her.

The story was about a girl who was chosen to become the universe's champion, and she was loved by all those she saved. But one day a creature of immeasurable strength appeared, as they always do in stories, and the girl found she could not win. So she prayed to the gods for a favor, to give her the strength required to win and protect the people. But the gods required a sacrifice, one that would prove to them just how far she was willing to go to save the universe.

The children sat in rapt attention as their mother waved her hands around during the battle scenes and plastered on a look of utter defeat when relaying the loss the girl had suffered. Frigga's hands lit up green as she used her magic as an example to show them that the gods gifted the girl with starlight so that she could win against the monster. None of them payed any attention to the look of contemplation that arose on Elysia's face as the Frigga described the starlight.

"The girl made a sacrifice, the biggest one a person could make, and in the end she was rewarded for her bravery and everything she lost was returned to her and more. The universe wanted to see if she would make such a sacrifice, and she proved herself worthy. But the moral of the story was that even though the girl had saved the people she was still just a girl, who had many dreams and many failings. And the starlight in her veins that made her so special was not given to her, she unknowingly put it there herself. The story goes that if we are brave then we all carry a piece of that starlight in our veins as well." Frigga sat back as she finished her story, proud that she had remembered as much as she did.

' _Mother, I do not think that it is just a story,_ ' Elysia thought looking down at her now softly glowing hands. ' _Fore this seems to bear a strong resemblance to starlight.'_

* * *

It was another month before Elysia was finally permitted to leave her isolation and regain contact with others. She had never mentioned her suspicions about the story to Frigga in fear that it would end up with her being locked in the room longer for more tests to be run. Elysia had never been a liar before, but right about now she was willing to do anything to go back home.

Eir and her family stood on the opposite side of the barrier as they prepared to lift it and let her pass through. The children's eyes were locked on each other and all three were practically bouncing on their feet as they waited for the moment that they could be reunited. The adults laughed fondly at the sight.

As soon as Eir swiped at the screen and the shimmering barrier dissipated she launched herself into Thor and Loki's arms.

There were no words that could describe how it felt to grasp ahold of them again.

Tears fell from her eyes like a river and her irises lit up while her emotions went haywire. Over the time in her isolation she had gained enough control that the adults were not concerned when her eyes changed to golden anymore. Every part where her skin touched theirs felt like a lightning bolt was racing across in her blood.

The strange colors returned as she cried, her mother's green and her father's blue still reaching out and swirling around each other. Loki's color remained firmly planted within him, much like herself, but Thor's soft yellow hue trailed off out of the room as if it were in search of something. She still didn't know what the colors meant, but they seemed only to appear when her emotions ran high.

Her brother's arms were wrapped around her like steel bands, refusing to let go. The last time they had been able to touch her was when they were running her down to the healer's rooms, they had been unable to hold her and reassure themselves that she was truly okay afterwards.

Eventually Frigga could hold herself back no longer and she fell to her knees to wrap her arms around all of her children, feeling as though everything was finally right in her world again. To not hold her child proved to be torture for Frigga. Odin walked over to them and placed a hand upon Elysia's shoulder in silent support, not allowing the others in the room to see just how much this moment was affecting him.

By the time that the small family had loosened their hold on each other Elysia had fallen asleep on her brothers, the relief she felt from being in their presence proved to be soothing and for the first time in two months she slept peacefully.

Odin reached down in preparation to lift her in his arms but was stopped when his sons refused to let go. Thor looked up at him, "There is no need father, Loki and I shall take it from here." Eir let loose a chuckle from the back of the room as the eldest prince lifted his small sleeping sister in his arms, Loki refusing to relinquish her hand from his grip as he stood next to his siblings.

The boys turned and walked back to their quarters with Elysia, knowing that all three of them would be sleeping in the same room tonight. Frigga watched them go with happy tears in her eyes. She had never been more grateful that fate had gifted her with children who loved one another so deeply.

A flash of dark hair hit her and she remembered a familiar young woman sent hurling towards Hel to be trapped there as she cried in outrage. No matter how much time passed Frigga would never forget the sight of her thrashing and yelling obscenities as she promised retribution. A tear ran unchecked down her cheek at the onslaught of memories she wished to forget.

Fate had blessed _almost_ all of her children.

* * *

Elysia woke up in a panic during the middle of the night, firmly convinced that the previous day has been nothing more than a dream. Yet there were two bodies that were intertwined with hers, one head resting upon her stomach and the other right above her own head that proved her wrong. Arms were strewn across different bodies as the three children laid so close that had anyone seen them it would have been hard to tell where one began and the other stopped.

Loki was silently sleeping as he rested on her stomach, trying his best to cuddle closer in his unconscious state. Thor was loudly snoring as he kept his back towards the door, always insisting that if someone were to break in that he be first target. Even in his sleep he was protecting them.

Elysia felt like her heart would burst from the love that she held for them, thanking the Allfathers for their place in her life. She pulled both of them closer as she drifted back towards her dreams, unaware that both Loki and Thor had woken several times before to ensure that she was still there with them.

A faint glow encased the children, soothing them back to sleep whenever one would wake and search for the others fearing that they had been separated once again.

* * *

Going back to lessons after the incident had been a very intriguing experience. No one had been informed of what she could now do, Odin had not wanted a mass panic on his hands nor for word to get out of Asgard of what the young girl now possessed.

For Elysia it was hard to be there, but she had Thor and Loki to help her get through the days. She was constantly worried that she could slip up and injure someone.

Except Alvilda perhaps.

If there was anyone that Elysia would not have minded disintegrating it would have been Alvilda. That girl had been a continual thorn in Elysia's side, constantly reminding her that Odin and Frigga were in fact not her birth parents and that her title of princess was not tied to blood. It had been hard but Elysia dealt with it because she could not dispute the truth in those statements. But it was only when the girl had insinuated that Thor and Loki did not love her due to their lack of familial ties that Elysia had cried her heart out.

It had taken quite a while for Elysia to finally come clean with her brothers over what was said and once she did it had taken her an entire day to talk them both out of wringing that girl's neck. After that she was showered in high words of love and neither left her alone with the spoiled little girl.

"Would you look at that, Princess Elysia has finally graced us with her presence."

Elysia practically deflated as she heard Alvilda's voice ring out among the room. She had been standing with Loki and Sif while they discussed the obviously large topic at hand between them. Elysia had practically begged Frigga to stay at the palace and continue their practice in place of going to their lessons, but unfortunately that's not how life worked.

Elysia tried to ignore her, but the grating sound of her voice rung clear like a bell and was inescapable. Slowly the spectacle had gathered the attention of the other children and she could see Thor making his way over from the corner of her eye.

"Oh wait, you're not actually a princess are you? The Allfather just took you in because he felt sorry for you." Alvilda sneered at Elysia, trying to see how far she would have to go to push her over the edge. She couldn't help it, everything about the so-called princess rubbed her the wrong way. Why was it that this orphan girl got to be princess of the nine realms? The two months without her had been wonderful, she had assumed that by now Elysia had decided to quit coming to lessons because she realized she was not wanted here.

Elysia could feel herself becoming upset and she fought to control her reaction, knowing that it was Odin's wish for her to keep the energy a secret. The dark look upon Loki's face was a clear indication that he was about to do something that their parent's surely would not approve of.

There was a feeling deep within her that urged her to protect herself, the feeling was so strong that Elysia let it take control. Before she knew what was happening her mouth was moving, "And yet I am more of a princess than you'll ever be Alvilda."

A hush fell over the room at her soft spoken reply. Elysia had never stood up for herself before and the thought of her talking back to Alvilda had previously seemed impossible. Thor, who had just come up to the rest of them, grinned broadly as he took in the look of shock on the little girl's face. He knew that since he was a prince he was supposed to take a personal interest in every citizen of Asgard, but Alvilda was a whole different case.

If it were up to him and Loki they would have chucked her off the Rainbow Bridge a long time ago.

Alvilda's face turned a nasty shade of red and it looked like she was going to make her way closer to Elysia. Loki had officially had enough of the quivering little girl and subtly flicked his fingers in the direction of one of the chairs, shifting it so that she collided with it and fell to the floor in front of the entire throng of children.

The attention shifted from Elysia onto Alvilda, who was sprawled out across the floor, and loud laughter flooded the room. Elysia wanted to feel bad for her, and she supposed that somewhere deep down she did, but for the moment she was just grateful that her brother had handled the situation.

Odin had said that Elysia was not to use her magic, but he never said anything about Loki using his.

* * *

During their mid-day break the three siblings had decided to branch off, they weren't ready to part with each other quite yet and did not want others to invade on their time together. They made their way to the inner garden of the palace, laid down on the grass and gazed up at the sky, knowing that there were thousands of worlds out there just waiting for them.

The silence was nice, but there was a more pressing matter that weighted on her mind. "Thor, you and Sif..." she searched for words that would get her point across while still being sensitive to the subject at hand. "Are you planning on doing something about that?"

"What would I possibly do?" She couldn't see his face but she could hear the confusion in his voice.

This time it was Loki who interjected, "She _is_ your soulmate..."

Thor propped himself up on his elbow and grinned at them, "Sif and I will remain good companions, and one day we shall ride into battle together and fight side by side just like great warriors do."

Loki and Elysia could only stare blankly at their emotionally stunted brother. They wondered how it was possible for someone to be so clueless about the matters of the heart. Elysia's head tilted to the side as she tried to figure out whether or not Thor was jesting with them. He had to be, because surely he did not think that his soulmate wanted nothing more than to be a battle companion.

"Have you spoken to Sif about that?"

Loki could only nod at his sister's question, showing his support in her line of thinking. While both their soulmates had yet to be born, Thor was currently going to primary lessons with his. In that way both siblings thought their eldest brother was certainly lucky to be so close to his soulmate, but now they could see that they should clearly pity Sif for being stuck with him.

"Some things you do not have to discuss little sister. When both of you meet your soulmates you'll realize that with them such silent arrangements are possible."

Elysia had seen the way her friend stared at her brother and knew there was no possible way in all the nine realms that Thor's opinion on both their thoughts was correct.

For everyone and their mother had seen Sif's face full of longing whenever the eldest prince had walked by.

* * *

Once Elysia was free to join the rest of society the naming ceremony had been put in motion and before she knew it Elysia would have her title come the next morning. The whole of Asgard was invited to the royal event where they would discover what their future Allfather and his siblings would be referred to as.

The only problem with the whole thing was that due to the incident Elysia had been too preoccupied to choose a name, and the stress was getting to her. At this point she would have to take Loki up on his previous offer and just share the title between the two of them.

Frigga came into the room, noting that the three of them were still sharing the room, and was surprised to see her daughter still awake. "Is something wrong my darling?" She kept her voice down so that her sons did not wake.

Elysia looked up at her mother, "I'm still seeing those colors again." It wasn't what she had originally wanted to talk about but she did not want to admit that she was still clueless as to her title. After seeing the colors for the second time she had talked to Frigga about it, who in turn had taken the matter up with Eir.

"Eir thinks that perhaps what you are seeing are souls themselves." Frigga could see the dawning panic within her daughter's eyes and quickly tried to quell it, "But only when they come into contact with their soulmates. That's what you saw with your father and I, as well as Thor with young Sif. My darling you are seeing the soulmate bond at it's very core."

Elysia did not want to believe it, but it made sense. Not only did she have to be the host of an infinity stone's energy but now she saw souls as well. She felt like throwing her hands up at the unfairness of the whole situation, the voice had not once told her anything about souls. In the back of her mind she realized that she must have seen Thor's soul reaching out for Sif's while they were back in Eir's rooms.

Frigga tried to talk more with Elysia about it but she could see that her daughter had closed up on the matter. So she bid her goodnight with the promise that she would be back in the morning to help her prepare for the ceremony.

Elysia eased back into her position between the boys as she pondered on what her mother had just revealed. Perhaps this would be in her favor. If she could see the physical ties between soulmates than she should be able to follow the color of her soul to her own mate. The thought made her giddy with joy, now all she had to do was wait for them to be born.

Before she could fully drift off, Elysia was struck with a brilliant idea. Her thoughts echoed in her head as she fell asleep with a small smile etched on her face.

 _Souls huh?_

* * *

The next day found Elysia pacing up and down the hallway leading to the balcony where they would soon be presented. There were no words that could be spoken between them, seeing as Odin was already giving the speech that would end with their arrival in front of their people.

One of Odin's advisors ushered them into their place, standing side by side as a united front, for when the doors would open. The three grasped ahold of each other's hands, a bundle of excitement and nerves resting in the pit of their stomachs.

The doors swung open wide and all was silent as the three children stepped forward, past a proud looking Odin and Frigga to gaze upon the sea of Asgardians that had congregated for the ceremony. The advisor begun to speak, his voice carrying out for all to hear.

"Now presenting Prince Thor, The God of Thunder."

Her eldest brother practically beamed with pride as he puffed out his chest and tried to imitate their father's stance. All his friends from lessons were shooting him large grins as they tried to contain their cries of joy until the end of the ceremony. Meanwhile Sif was shyly smiling up at him, proud that her soulmate was so happy on such an important day.

"Prince Loki, The God of Mischief."

There were a few confused tilts of the head at his title, but any who knew him where smiling like they held a secret. Loki, who looked as though he could do no wrong, could very easily trick someone out of everything they owned. Needless to say, most thought his title was quite fitting.

Elysia opened her eyes to stare upon the people that she would one day help to lead. These people would look up to her in times of distress, and when the day came she wanted to be able to say she did her best in that role. With a deep breath she calmed her trembling hands and straightened her shoulders, waiting for her name to be called.

"And Princess Elysia, The Goddess of Souls."

The three children were hit with thunderous applause as their fates in Asgard were sealed.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: I know that it's cannon for Asgardians to age like normal people for the first part of their lives and begin to slow that process down once they reach adulthood, but I thought that it would be interesting to try something new. So this is me putting a different spin on the Asgardian aging process, I hope you guys like it.

* * *

 **Chapter 5: The Beginning of Us**

There were always drawbacks to having the King of Asgard as one's father. Mainly because it meant that anything he said was law, and was to remain unquestioned.

So when Odin stated that he would be taking the children back to his Vault there was not much that anyone could say to dissuade him. Not Frigga's various protests nor his sons' outrage. Elysia's tearful cries had not even swayed him.

Odin firmly believed that it was his duty to his children to teach them about the legacy that he would be passing down to one of them, and what better way to show them their history than through his many relics? Nevertheless, Odin did understand the hesitance and resistance that he received in response. From his perspective Elysia was coming along well with her control and there was no further harm that the Tesseract could cause her, thus making the area safe for her to be in.

Getting her into the room had proved difficult, but eventually the four of them found themselves standing in front of the dark blue cube that caused their family so much heartache. Elysia was clinging onto Thor's arm for a change, typically she would be attached to Loki seeing as how he was more sensitive to her feelings, but Thor himself was still so uneasy around the cube that he could not bear to have her away from him when confronting it once more. The last time he saw the Tesseract was when his sister's life was hanging in the balance.

The hand that Elysia hadn't monopolized was placed in Odin's as his father held Loki's hand with his other. Odin let go of his sons' hands in order to stand in front of them, turning his back to the cube. Once he was sure that he held all of their attention, even young Elysia's whose gaze had been planted on the object behind him, he decided to begin their lesson on an event that began over three thousand years in the past and ended only over half a millennium ago.

"Once mankind accepted a simple truth, that they were not alone in this universe. Some worlds, man believed to be home to their gods. Others, they knew to fear. From a realm of cold and darkness, came the Frost Giants." As always there was a slight hitch in his breath when he mentioned the Frost Giants. Ever since that fateful night he could not bear to mention their name and look into his youngest son's eyes, afraid of what he might see reflecting back at him.

Without drawing attention to the conflict within himself he continued, "Threatening to plunge the mortal world, into a new ice age. But humanity would not face this threat alone. Our armies drove the Frost Giants, back into the heart of their own world. The cost was great. In the end their king fell."

 _Your true father._ The thought burned Odin and his eyes dropped down briefly in shame. Although in his mind he had every right to bring the child home, lying to him about his true heritage was another matter. But taking him was never a part of their peace treaty and such an action could have started an entirely new war. Instead of dwelling on his past failings Odin did what he did best and swept it out of his mind.

"And the source of their power was taken from them. With the last great war ended we withdrew from the other worlds and returned home, to the realm eternal, Asgard. And here, we remain as the beacon of hope. Shining out across the stars. And though we have fallen into man's myths and legends, it was Asgard and its warriors, that brought peace to the universe." Odin focused back on his children, noting the way that small smiles had all crept on their faces. There was a part of him that was hoping that he would be capable of distracting them enough to where they could become comfortable in the Vault.

"But the day will come, when one of you, will have to defend that peace." Odin knew that there was a very long time before a day like that would ever come up, but the fact remained that it would. And better to be prepared early than when it was too late.

"Do the Frost Giants still live?" Loki's question came out quietly, he wasn't afraid but he was curious. And Frigga had always told them that curiosity could often times be dangerous, thus they should always handle it with caution.

"When I'm king I'll hunt the monsters down and slay them all! Just as you did father." Thor swung his free arm in a slashing motion in the air in front of them as if he were wielding a sword. His statement was not said with maliciousness, not in the slightest. Thor did not think about what it would mean for his siblings if he became king, never thinking that in order for him to ascend it would mean his siblings would not. The only thing he knew for certain was that it was his destiny to reign as Allfather.

Odin knew all too well that an attitude such as Thor's could lift him higher than any king before, but it could also cause him to come crashing back to the ground. "A wise king, or queen, never seeks out war, but..." Odin paused and took a good long look at the three children, trying to imagine what they would be like when they were grown. Thor was looking up at him with anticipation, visibly hanging onto every word that he was saying. Loki on the other hand was looking at him with eyes that displayed he understood the severity of his father's words. "They must always be ready for it."

Odin felt that if he had been better prepared, then Elysia might still have her own parents in her life.

"I'm ready father" Thor announced after a moment's thought. Elysia didn't trust her voice so she nodded her head along rapidly, though she wasn't sure that she actually meant it.

Loki, not wanting to be outdone, quickly spoke up. "So am I."

"Only one of you can ascend to the throne. But all three of you were born to be kings and queens." At first Loki's face grew slightly pale as he worried over Odin's words. He knew that the eldest always held the higher claim, and he was afraid that they might begin to drift apart if Thor thought he was after the throne. But with Odin telling them that they were all born with the same advantage made him feel somewhat better.

Seeing that his sons were buzzing with excitement Odin let them go, signaling the end of their lesson, and he watched as they both took off towards the doors after smirking at one another. Elysia had let go of Thor's hand sometime during his words about wise kings and remained.

"Father..." Elysia reached out and tugged on the hem of his pants, trying to get his attention now that her brothers were gone. There was still something that was bothering her, but she did not want to seem childish if she brought it up in front of Thor or Loki. Or perhaps it was more that she did not want to be embarrassed if it turned out to be true, so she waited until there was no chance that they could hear her.

Odin glanced down at his daughter and saw the way she bit her lip in contemplation and decided to humor her. "Yes my child, what is the matter?"

Regardless of how well she hid it, Alvilda's words still lingered in her mind. Elysia knew she shouldn't place any value on the poison that came out of Alvilda's mouth, but in her circumstance it was unavoidable that she would feel such insecurities. "You said that only one of us could defend the peace of Asgard, didn't you mean that only Thor or Loki could?"

Odin immediately knew what it was that Elysia was truly asking, and the thought broke his heart a little. Elysia was the child of his best friend Gunnar, a friend who gave up his own life in order to save his during their war with the Frost Giants, and Odin had promised on Thor's life that he would look after Gunnar's daughter in his place. It was true that Elysia was not of royal blood, but this life was all that she knew and to deprive her of its benefits would be cruel.

Besides, Elysia was not the only child with no royal ties to Asgard that he had claimed as his own.

"You are as much a princess as Loki is the prince of Asgard." Her father's words soothed the ache in her soul and Elysia hugged his leg in appreciation. To know that he placed her in the same level as her brothers regardless of blood, brought her serenity.

It would not be something that she understood the true meaning of until she was much older. It would be then that she would realize that Odin had failed to mention Thor's birthright.

* * *

After their naming ceremony the time seemed to fly by. The days passed and the children grew, coming into their inheritance more and more. While Thor's physical strength grew, both Loki and Elysia's focus remained on their magic.

Though Elysia had perfected her control in regards to absorption, she was still wary to actually use her ability to manipulate the energy around them. Everyone had decided to let her set her own pace when it came to that and she was extremely grateful.

In the meantime they watched Sif make moon eyes at Thor while he pranced around with his friends, telling all about the various adventures he would go on, and tried to make the most out of their lessons while they still could.

Eventually the day came when they were pulled out of their public lessons and placed into more private ones with just the three of them. There was a lot to learn when it came to leading an entire race of people, not even mentioning what it took to be Allfather over all nine realms. The three of them had a lot to learn.

Loki and Elysia were still patiently waiting for the day when their soulmates would take their first breaths, checking the spot on their right wrist first thing in the morning and right before bed. The more time that passed the more disheartened they became, wondering how much older they would be than their mates.

Elysia had just turned 500 years old, making Loki 530 years, and Thor beating them both with his 560 years. Half a millennium was still considered to be young in their culture. Based off of the fact that the average life span of an Asgardian was somewhere around 5,000 years.

Although they were still grouped in as part of the younger ones, Loki and Elysia still felt like they had already waited an eternity for their soulmates. Their plight was not something that their eldest brother understood either.

Thor and Sif had known each other since they were young babes, so Thor had never known what it was truly like to be without the other half of one's soul. By no means did that mean that Loki or Elysia were upset with their brother because of it, but at times they did envy him a fair amount.

The two of them had given up, for the time being, on making Thor see that Sif was meant for him as more than just a close companion. The whole situation was something that Elysia really struggled with.

She wholeheartedly believed that it was a personal decision for someone to choose who they loved. There had been cases where soulmated pairs became more like family to the other, there were even a few tales where the bond had been rejected.

Elysia wished with all her heart that such a possibility would not become a reality for her in the future. Though her soulmate had yet to be born she already loved them so much. She would be devastated if they did not love her the same.

There were times when such thoughts would pester her for days, but she tried her best to shut them out. Doubt was a common feeling among those whose soulmates had yet to appear in their lives. Until they met their other half they would not understand the completeness that the bond would bring, which often left them feeling as though they were inadequate.

Loki was the only one of them who was conflicted about his soulmate. Sure he was excited for when they would come, but he was also afraid that their presence in his life could cause his future plans to change. The only people in his life whose opinions mattered was his family. What if his soulmate did not want him to go with Thor on various adventures that would take him away from Asgard? Such a thing was unlikely, but everyone had their own personal doubts and this was Loki's.

In the meantime things around the palace did not change much. Elysia had 310 years to become more accustomed to the foreign energy that flowed within her, and she thought that she was doing a fairly decent job at it. There hadn't been any more incidents, which had pleased Odin a great deal, but she was still too afraid to try using the energy.

Frigga had been teaching Loki and Elysia self-defense techniques with small knives while Thor had taken to following Odin out to the training grounds where the warriors practiced. After learning how to properly hold the various knives, as well as where to store them so that they could remain hidden, they had been ready to move onto sparing.

Many would not have believed it, but Frigga was just as fierce a warrior as her husband. She moved with a speed and accuracy that many who stood against her did not survive. While Odin and the men had gone to war against the Frost Giants, Frigga stayed at home and protected the palace against any threat who deemed them vulnerable. Needless to say, all attempts to overthrow the throne were squashed.

During the middle of their spar Loki's knife got close enough to graze Elysia's cheek and three things happened in a very short amount of time.

First, Elysia's eyes flared briefly and her hand flung out towards the knife that was rapidly making its way closer.

Secondly it felt as though she sucked something in only to force it back out and she watched as Loki was pushed backwards. The same golden light that had she had been taming had made its reappearance. Its consistency reminded her of smoke, looking as though it would be easy to wave her hands right through it. But looks were deceiving, because even though the energy looked disarming it had easily sent her brother to the opposite side of the room without excessive force.

The third thing that happened was when Frigga swung her gaze to her daughter to find her eyes engulfed in what looked to be golden flames as her hair wiped around the room as through a strong wind had just blown through. The look on her face indicated surprise and she quickly dropped out of her defensive pose in order to hover over Loki, ensuring that her brother was okay.

However Loki's face split into a wide grin, in awe of the display of power his little sister had just shown. When his knife got to close to her face he had panicked, thinking that if she did not move he might hurt her. He was glad that even subconsciously Elysia was able to protect herself against harm.

Even though Loki sustained no injury, Frigga still decided that their lesson had come to its end. It took Loki a little while to talk Elysia down, letting her know that he was fine and that she could grasp ahold of his hand without worry. Once he finally talked her into it both made their way to where Thor was, knowing that soon he would have free time to spend with them.

When they arrived at the training grounds Odin noticed them standing off to the sidelines and told Thor that he could be done for the day, and released him to his siblings.

The three of them wandered around the grounds of the palace and even into the marketplace, all the while playing games that involved monsters and damsels in distress. They ran around their home and the citizens watched as their future leaders giggled and lunged at each other with wooden swords.

They were assured in their knowledge that at the very least the children were kind and capable of showing displays of intense love, something their father certainly lacked.

* * *

Time continued to pass, as it typically does, and the children continued to grow into their teen years. This was a particularly trying time for the Odinson children. Thor was more determined than ever to follow in Odin's footsteps, and that had caused a small rift between him and his siblings. Pride was ever present in his disposition and Loki and Elysia did not like what it was doing to him.

Another thing they did not care for was the three friends that Thor had taken to sticking to. Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun were all names that served to agitate Loki and Elysia.

Instead of spending time with them, Thor had elected to be with his new-found friends. It hurt Loki and Elysia a great deal to know that their eldest brother no longer wished to remain with them only. During dinner time the stories told used to be told about the different scenarios Thor and Loki would create and act out, and now it was stories about what Thor and his friends had done during training.

Odin and Frigga could only shake their heads at the three of them, knowing that as they aged they would make more friends instead of sticking to one another only. Thor had just reached 910 and felt as though running around and playing was now beneath him, Loki was on the cusp of feeling the same at his 880 but Elysia still wished to run around the fields and dream about what it would be like to explore other realms, and there was nothing Loki would not do for his little sister.

After another disappointing day of trying to pry Thor's attention away from his friends, Elysia laid in her bed and tried to get some sleep. There were still times when nightmares would plague her mind and she would run to Loki's room to slip into his bed and latch onto him, knowing that he could drive the awful dreams away. Somewhere deep down she knew that if she were to run to Thor that he would do his best to soothe her, but it didn't stop her from worrying that he might turn her away claiming that at 850 she was too old to be sleeping in his bed.

Elysia's dream started out wonderfully. She was running through a field, spinning around as she reached out and felt the flowers that surrounded her, taking in their beauty. The sun was shining, warming her skin and hitting the grass in such a way that caused it to twinkle.

Her dream started to take a rapid turn when she went to lay down on the ground.

Instead of hitting solid ground she fell through and found herself tumbling into a world gone white. Everything was cold and she stood up, taking in the white flakes that fell from the sky. They stuck to her hair, making the midnight strands stand out like a beacon.

Elysia's began looking around in all directions, looking for any sign that would help her figure out where she was. All she could tell was that she was at the base of a mountain that she had never seen before. It reminded her of the images she had seen of Jotunheim, the land covered in snow and rocky fixtures.

Off in the distance she noticed a dark figure on the ground and she quickly made her way over to it, intrigued to see what it was that had entered her dream.

The closer she got the more she was able to distinguish about the figure. It was a man, a frighteningly beautiful man, just laying the on ground where blood was quickly pooling out from beneath him. The sight was alarming and Elysia looked for the cause of the bleeding, wanting desperately to help him.

That's when she realized that his left arm was missing.

For some odd reason the sight caused her heart to seize and her blood pumped loudly in her ears. There was no way for her to describe why it was that this man had such an impact on her, but he did. His skin was pale and it looked as though he would soon die, another thought that pained her.

Trying to provide him with a semblance of comfort, Elysia reached out to place a hand upon his cheek. As soon as she touched him the skin on her right wrist burned and she felt herself begin to wake up. She tried to fight to stay with the stranger, not knowing why but everything in her screamed that she was not meant to leave him. Elysia scrambled for some kind of purchase but the next thing she knew the man was nothing more than a vestige and she was opening her eyes in her own room.

The skin on her wrist still burned and when she looked down at it her heart nearly stopped. There, written plain as day, was the scripted black tinted words that she had been waiting so long for.

 _What's a doll like you doing with a punk like him?_

The words were foreign to her, spoken in a language that she did not quite understand. What was a doll or for that matter a punk? Elysia chased the questions out of her mind, who cared what the words said? These words on her skin proved to her that her soulmate had just been born.

Tears of unrestrained joy burst from her and through them, for the first time ever, she noticed that her rose tinted soul was tailing off out of the room, finally having a person to reach out towards.

There was no possible way that Elysia could sleep without trying to see if her soulmate was on Asgard. She threw her blankets off of her and jumped out of the bed racing after the lingering trail that would lead her to her future.

And the man she left behind in the snow was forgotten.

* * *

Elysia followed her soul's trail straight to the Bifrost, not once stopping to see that she was racing across the Rainbow Bridge, the only thing separating her from the raging sea below. Her midnight hair whipped across her face stinging her cheek every time it snapped against her, but it would not deter her. With the promise of a soulmate at the end of this trail there was nothing anyone could say or do that would stop her.

Only when she had made it to the very end of the bridge, where with one wrong step she could be sent hurtling towards oblivion, did she stop to catch her breath as she watched the rose color of her soul stretch out across the stars.

"You're out there." Elysia's voice came out in a disbelieving whisper as she panted heavily from all the running she had just done. A new determination blazed brightly within her, "I will find you one day, I swear it."

* * *

Millions of miles away on Midgard, in a city known most commonly as Brooklyn, a small baby boy by the name of James Barnes took his first breath as he entered the world.

He was unaware that there was a girl waiting for him amongst the stars.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: I just wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who is reading this, liking it, and commenting. I never thought that anyone would so it really means a lot to me when I see that people other than me enjoy this story. Also the last chapter was pretty much the end of the prologue and now we are entering events that should actually seem familiar, and in this chapter things are going to bounce around a little and you'll kinda get to see how their bond is more unique than others. Hope you guys enjoy it, and thank you once again.

* * *

 **Chapter 6: The World Taught Us Differently**

"Well at least you know your gal's exotic, that's gotta be a pretty major hint."

Bucky turned to look at his best friend, "Stevie I know you're trying to help and I appreciate it, but it's not exactly working."

Ever since he could read Bucky had been looking for a clue as to what the words on his right wrist said. He had been a part of the lucky ones who were born with their words, never having to wonder if there was someone out there for them. The only downside to it was that his words weren't in English.

 _Sannr Ast_

Nobody knew what the words meant and if he were being completely honest it was quite discouraging not to be able to read the first words his soulmate would say to him. Don't get him wrong, Bucky cherished the words he truly did, after all they were the words that would trigger the beginning of something wonderful. He just wished that he was able to translate them.

When he was younger everyone said he had the face of a heartbreaker. And maybe he would break a few hearts in his lifetime, but never for the reason that everyone thought. He was firmly dedicated to his soulmate and if that broke a few ladies' hearts then so be it. There was only one heart he was worried about, and he would do everything in his power to prove how much he adored it when the time came.

Even if such sentiments did cause his little sister Rebecca to tease him about it.

Of course, he could have had it much worse. There was the occasional poor bastard who got something like "hello" as their first words and had to be on constant alert in case they accidentally missed them. But Bucky was in an entirely different category. He wondered if he'd ever be able to communicate with his soulmate, or if the words simply meant that one day he would travel to some place new and meet her.

But then the war started and Bucky realized that it wasn't exactly a good time to have the words of a foreigner inked on your skin.

He had taken to wearing longer sleeves, knowing that if someone dared to make a negative comment about his soulmate that he would have no choice but to lay them out. Bucky could put up with a lot of things, but he drew the lie at any disrespect being directed towards her.

Didn't matter if he had yet to meet her, she was his and he was hers. And that's the only thing that Bucky needed to know.

So when the day came where he was eligible to enlist there was only one thing on his mind. It wasn't his family and how much they might miss him while he was gone, and it wasn't that Stevie might feel betrayed that he was going to do this without him.

Bucky thought that this might be his only chance to go find his girl, and he wasn't going to miss it.

* * *

Funny enough the idea of zip lining onto a moving train was not the weirdest thing that existed in Bucky's life. After all he had seen Steve after they experimented on him. And a full-grown Steve Rogers, who ended up slightly taller than him, was certainly taking the cake for the most shocking thing he'd ever seen.

He'd never admit it but he had definitely thought that he was dreaming when he first saw Steve, because that was not the same kid he had left back home.

All in all he was proud of how far his friend had come, and even though they were in the middle of a war, Bucky was grateful to have him by his side. He was content to follow Captain America on whatever mission they were given because it meant following Steve, and he knew first hand that Steven Grant Rogers had a heart of gold.

"Remember when I made you ride the Cyclone at Coney Island?" Bucky was standing right next to Steve, staring out onto the tracks while the cold wind whipped around them.

"Yeah, and I threw up?"

Bucky couldn't help but ask, "This isn't payback, is it?"

Steve glanced over at him, "Now why would I do that?" His lips tugging upwards gave him away.

Bucky had to chuckle a little, this was exactly why he would always follow his friend. He had a way of making things easier. Even though he was standing on the side of a mountain about to do something dangerous, Steve still had him amused.

But he soon realized that this mission was different. Things had been going smoothly, but then they took a sudden turn that had him terrified.

Bucky had known fear before.

He knew fear when walking in on Steve getting his ass handed to him in an alley by a guy three times his size.

He knew it when he signed his signature on those enlistment papers.

He knew it when he was being shot at and when Zola had strapped him down and tortured him to the point where he could only repeat his identification numbers.

He knew it when they had to zip line down onto a moving train.

He knew it when he was hanging onto the thin railing for dear life, reaching for Steve's outstretched hand as he hung over the large crevasse below.

Steve was yelling his name and telling him to hang on as he inched his way closer and closer to where he was. "Grab my hand!" Bucky was trying but the railing that he was hanging onto was unsteady and broken.

And when it gave way Bucky made one last attempt to reach Steve's hand, just barely grazing his fingertips.

Correction. Bucky _thought_ he knew fear.

But it wasn't until he was falling towards his inevitable death that he truly understood the emotion. Fear was leaving his soulmate all alone in the world without ever getting to tell her just how in love he was with her, even never having met her liked he planned to.

Having the other half of his soul out there never get to know that she was cherished? Never getting to hold her in his arms or kiss every inch of her face? Never getting to exchange those three little words that he had saved all for her?

Now _that_ was fear.

When he landed he was miraculously still awake and there was a white-hot searing pain coming from his left arm, but he didn't dare look over at it. He had fallen facedown with the left side of him out towards the edge of the cliff and knew that whatever it was that was hurting couldn't be good.

Bucky could feel his eyes start to flutter shut and thought that of all the things in his life the most unfair was that the words on his soulmate's wrist would turn a dull grey and she would never know why.

He closed his eyes and dreamed of a warm hand on his cheek.

* * *

A shiver ran up Elysia's spine suddenly out of nowhere. She had been in the middle of one of her many lessons with Frigga, it felt like they were never ending, and this time she was practicing with Loki. Today's lesson was on a relatively new subject, how to control the raging energy that resided all around her.

Something had changed within her the night her soulmate was born. There was this new intense protective need within her, telling her the she now had someone out there who would require her watchful eye. Elysia was older than her soulmate, by a whole 850 years, which in the grand scheme of things was not actually all that long. Regardless of the age gap Elysia felt it was now her duty to learn all she could about how to use her gifts for defensive purposes in case one day she'd have to fight for her soulmate. She would become the warrior they needed her to be.

She often wondered if this strong protective need was something her brothers' felt when she was born. They certainly played the role of guard dogs well enough, never once letting the other children besides Sif be alone with her, never mind if it was one of the younger boys. Not that she had any interest in them anyway.

Elysia practically had blinders on when it involved her soulmate. She would only love one person and there was no one in all the nine realms who would change her mind. It did not matter how strong they were, how charming they may be, or how bravely they carried themselves in the face of danger. In her eyes they would never outshine her soulmate.

If her soul trail was correct then her mate was in fact in a different realm. But still the next morning she had gone and asked her father if there had been any new births the night before, a slight part of her wanting to be absolutely sure that they were not on Asgard.

Every night before bed Elysia would head down the Bifrost and just sit and stare at the trail her soul left while it was off in search of her other half. Frigga had taken one look at her words and told her that her soulmate was definitely male, something about how she could practically taste the jealousy and how only men would jump to such rash conclusions.

"Chin up darling, you'll get this in no time. Just concentrate on what you want to do, imagine the energy flowing out of you and covering Loki."

Elysia shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, before she focused back on Loki and what her mother had just told her to do. She held her arms out in front of her and with a small nod of reassurance from Loki she tried to picture a golden film covering her brother's entire form.

There was barely the smallest hint of a shimmer before her left arm was hit with a fierce pain that had her jerking her arm back towards her. It faded into a dull sensation as it continued to twitch.

"Sister are you alright?" Worry was ever present in Loki's tone, he was not sure what had just happened but Elysia's face had scrunched up in pain. When she did not respond he glanced over at his mother, taking note of the familiar worry etched across her face that he was sure could be seen on his, and took a couple steps towards Elysia.

None of them noticed the words on Elysia's right wrist had started to get lighter, a clear indication that one's soulmate was on the verge of death. Or perhaps it was a good thing that Elysia did not notice, because if she had she might have brought the entirety of Asgard down in her grief.

There was no greater pain than the loss of a soulmate. And every person in the entire universe prayed that they would never have to experience such a tragedy.

Elysia was so focused on her arm that she did not realize that Loki had asked her a question until he was grasping ahold of her arm gently to bring it closer to him. "Elysia, what is causing you pain?" His question grounded her and she looked up to meet his eyes.

Loki had recently hit a growth spurt and had shot up past her. Thor had always been taller than her but Loki had been closer to her height for the majority of their lives, so having to crane her neck up just to meet his eyes was a new development.

Concern flared in his eyes when he noticed the glazed look in her's. Instead of making her answer his question Loki moved onto examining the limb she held close to her body, noticing that there seemed to be nothing wrong with it. He looked back at her face and saw the confusion there. Perhaps this was nothing more than a side effect of trying to harness the energy, after all she was still fairly new to actually using it. Loki abandoned her arm in favor of drawing her closer to his chest and running his hand through her hair, knowing by now what to do if she needed soothing.

Elysia relaxed into his chest and tried to ignore the echo of pain that still ran across the nerve endings of her arm. This seemed to be another one of the weird things happening to her. First she dreamed of a strange man on his deathbed, and now her arm was in pain when she had done nothing to hurt it. She was distracted by the hand in her hair and gave into the comfort it brought.

Frigga watched the two of them from her place on the other side of the room in muted sadness. She regretted the reason the siblings were so close to one another, especially Loki and Elysia. Being queen meant that she could not always spend the time she desired with her children, in fact it had driven one child away from her completely.

So it came as no shock to her when the three of them preferred to go to each other when they were upset or injured. There was a small part of her that wished her children needed her more than each other. She knew they loved her in a way that only children could love a mother, and that would have to suffice.

Frigga watched Loki stroke Elysia's hair and supposed that this was the price of her reign. A heavier price than she thought it'd be.

* * *

Bucky remembered what was happening in flashes. He remembered Hydra finding him in the snow and dragging him back to their base. He remembered looking down and seeing that his left arm wasn't there, everything from the elbow and down was simply gone.

He also remembered that god awful pain from when they sawed off the rest until all he had left was a stub at his shoulder when an arm should have resided.

He thanked god for the small miracle of not losing his right arm. If he had to survive and never see those beautiful words again, he would have died a different kind of death again and again every day.

He was so in and out that he wasn't really aware of what was going on. He filled his fleeting thoughts with memories of his family and small Stevie, wishing more than ever that he had just stayed back in Brooklyn. Home was the only thing that was getting him through this, that and holding out hope that any second Steve would come barreling in, complete with his iconic shield, and get him out of here.

They had been dragging him into this machine constantly and the days were starting to blend together. He wasn't sure what the machine was actually supposed to do, but he knew that it hurt. It felt like his brain was on fire and every time they shut it off he had to fight to hold onto his precious memories.

He tried fighting them, tried struggling and throwing his body weight around, but with only one arm he couldn't do much when they forced him into restraints. Bucky tried to understand what they were saying about him but all he got was a few whispered words about a successful brand of super soldier serum, and even that made no sense to him.

This cycle continued for what felt like days, but with him falling in and out of consciousness he couldn't be quite sure.

Bucky felt a heavy weight on the left side of him that caused him to wake up. There were gloved hands in front of him that were attached to what looked like doctors. He was still dazed from whatever drug they were pumping in him but he could clearly see a metal hand where his flesh one had previously been.

He lifted it slightly and was astounded when it actually moved. He tried closing it in a fist, still not firmly convinced that it was attached to him. But once again the arm reflected the action.

Somewhere off to the side he heard a German accented voice ring out across the room. It sounded familiar but he couldn't place it no matter how hard he tried. When he tried to pull a memory up there was nothing there. "You are to be the new fist of Hydra."

As soon as Bucky understood what was happening he reached out and grabbed onto the throat of the scientist closest to him. He may not have remembered who was talking but he did know that Hydra was the enemy and could not be trusted.

There was a sharp prick in his side and he looked over to see a small German man wearing glasses holding up an empty syringe. Before Bucky could reach out and grab onto the man he could feel the familiar sense of nothingness beckon him.

Bucky could no longer ignore the holes in his memories, or chalk them up to the results of the trauma he was going through. Hydra was doing something to him and the metal arm that they had placed on him could only mean that worse things were to come.

How he wished that Steve would come soon.

* * *

Bucky was still fighting with everything that he had to make sure that he didn't give in to what Zola wanted. He would never work for Hydra, he'd rather die.

But apparently Hydra was ready to fight his determination with everything they had in their arsenal. Because after one particularly exhausting session with that machine Bucky was close to caving.

There was a flash of blonde hair in his mind's eye, attached to a scrawny looking young man and Bucky knew that somehow the man was familiar. But for the life of him he could not remember his name. In fact he couldn't even remember how he got here or where it was he was at exactly. The only thing he had been repeating to himself constantly was that Hydra was not to be trusted, but even then he couldn't remember what Hydra was.

He was so exhausted that he couldn't even fight it when there were arms lifting him and moving him somewhere else. He barely had enough sense to hear an order being thrown out across the room.

"Put him on ice. That might make him more pliable."

Bucky didn't know what that was, but it didn't sound very good. Nothing they did to him here could have been classified as good or even humane.

He was placed inside what felt like a tube and they enclosed him in it. There was barely enough room to even move his hands and Bucky could feel the beginnings of claustrophobia kick in. Tight spaces had never bothered him before, but laying inside this thing was definitely causing him some panic.

He tried to reach out for the small window that was right in front of his face but ice surrounded him first and before he knew it he was frozen in time, all consciousness fading from his body.

* * *

Back on Asgard Elysia had been in her room practicing her dancing skills for the next banquet. Loki, and surprisingly Thor, had both offered to help her learn, claiming that they would be the only two dancing with her anyways. Elysia had politely declined, wanting to be somewhat acceptable before anyone other than her mirror watched her twirl around the room.

Mid dip Elysia was hit with a sudden chill. The room seemed to get colder and the temperature was rapidly getting worse. Her limbs felt sluggish as she made her way to the fireplace in her room. She sat right in front of it, as close as she could get, and tried fruitlessly to take in the heat.

The cold ache felt as though it had sunken into her bones and taken root there. She truly believed that she could have walked straight into the fire and still would not have felt its warmth.

Her teeth chattered and she rubbed her hands up and down her arms vigorously, trying to push warmth back into her skin. What in the name of the Allfathers was happening to her?

* * *

He tried to hold on, truly he did, but between the cryofreezing, the torture, and the brainwashing, Hydra had won. Bucky was silenced the second the Winter Soldier was born.

He wasn't Bucky, hell he wasn't even James at this point, he was simply Winter. And though he tried to hide it, Winter was very curious about the words on his wrist. He did his best to feign nonchalance whenever he was around the scientists or his new handler Müller, because he knew all too well that Hydra did not appreciate curiosity.

At least they didn't when it came to him.

Winter was not supposed to question his orders or the reasons why he was assigned certain targets. It was for that reason that Winter assumed he was also not allowed to question his soul words. He didn't have much of anything really, only a few items of clothing and a few guns, but he knew enough about soulmates to know that whoever was on the other end of these words was someone who he could call his own.

He tried to remember anything he could about the words but every time he tried there was a searing pain in his head, and eventually he gave up on turning to forgotten memories in search of clues.

"It's written in an ancient language."

Winter's head shot up and he silently cursed himself for letting someone sneak up on him. He had been staring at the words and had gotten caught up in them. Winter watched General Müller cautiously, wondering if he was going to be punished for succumbing to such distractions.

If Hydra thought the words were a hindrance to his performance Winter had no doubts that they would try to remove them entirely. He would never show it but the thought caused him great pain and made his heart beat faster. Soulmates were common knowledge and he had overheard a few scientists discussing them one time. The way they made it sound was something Winter craved deep in his soul.

Something that would be completely his. Something that no one had the right to take away from him.

General Müller continued speaking, oblivious to where the asset's thoughts had drifted. "We've done multiple searches, and we have people researching constantly, but we still cannot find the original translation. It's peculiar that your soulmate would know such a language, but then again the world holds many unanswered mysteries."

Winter wondered if Müller was going anywhere with this. He still looked relatively composed so Winter wasn't quite sure whether or not this was going to be a good visit, or one that ended with him strapped to another table leaving the scientists to poke and prod at him.

Realizing that he was wasting time trying to make conversation with the asset Müller moved onto his true purpose, his voice ringing flat around the room. "You have new orders. You are to bring the person who speaks these words," The man lifted Winter's arm and pointed at the black script that rested on his wrist, "back here. It does not matter where you are or who is giving you orders, this is to surpass them all. Do you understand?"

Winter was slightly confused but nodded his head in cooperation anyway. He was to bring the person who spoke his words back to Hydra, this was mission objective one and was not to be compromised. But a thought occurred to him, perhaps if he was able to accomplish this mission they would reward him by letting his soulmate stay with him in the base. Winter did not like people touching his things, but if it meant that he just had to hand her over to Hydra to be examined and then he could get her back then he supposed that would be acceptable.

He only had a small room with one bed, and it was heavily guarded at all times, but he could definitely fit a small body in there with him so space would not be an issue.

The general smiled, but there was nothing warm about it, and motioned for one of the scientists to come closer. "Wipe him. We need to be sure that the order will stick no matter what he is made to forget."

The words caused Winter to flinch, he didn't remember much of anything but the pain of that machine was unforgettable and he did not long to go through it again. He knew he had two options, fight against going back in the chair, or comply. He didn't want to give the General any reason to take his soulmate away once he retrieved her, so he stood, regardless of the weight on his chest and planted himself in that unforgiving seat.

They placed something in his mouth for him to bite down on and he braced himself when they placed the wires on his temple.

The general watched as the asset tried to contain his screams with a blank face as electricity coursed through his brain, rewriting the memories and knowledge it held. His previous handler did not think to issue an order that would draw the asset's soulmate straight to them. Zola had been a fool for thinking that it would not be an issue. Müller knew the power one's soulmate could have over someone and he would not lose his asset to something as trivial as love.

Once the soulmate was in his grasp he would have complete control over the Winter Soldier and there would be nothing anyone could do to stop him. This was certainly a great contingency plan to have when trying to tame an assassin whose memory was faulty at best.

When the wiping process was complete the asset was still holding onto the arms of the chair, the side in his metal grip was bent beyond recognition, and he had turned pale. A sheen of sweat was ever present on his forehead as his eyes tried to adjust. "Asset" Müller was confident that the results would be in his favor.

Winter was trying to get his bearings back when Müller addressed him. He had no other choice but to bring his head up, ignoring the pain it caused, and snap to attention. The action was so involuntary, after a few years of brainwashing certain things had been ingrained into him. Like obeying his handler's orders no matter what.

Seeing that he held his attention, General Müller decided to put his theory to the test. "Recite mission objective one."

"Retrieve soulmate and bring her back to handler." The words held no tone nor feeling, it was simply stated as a fact. Because that's what everyone wanted from him. They didn't want a person, they wanted a machine.

Müller smiled and clapped his hands together. The test had been successful and he felt as though this order could only bring benefits for Hydra. He motioned to the agents in the corners of the room, "Escort him back to his room, he is done for the day."

Once the armed men had deposited him back in his room, Winter waited until they closed the door before he leaned into the wall, still trying to calm his racing heartbeat and stop his shaking hands. Wiping him always had a few side effects and he did his best to hide them from the scientists, knowing that if they saw they would just want to run more tests.

When he finally felt more like himself he looked around his barren room and his eyes fell onto his bed. He could definitely fit a small body on there with him, it would mean he would have to hold her to him for there to be enough space but that thought really didn't bother him.

There was something small in the back of his mind that seemed to be screaming that this place was not safe for his soulmate, but he pushed it away. His handler had given him specific orders and he would not fail.

When he pushed that small voice back all that was left of James Buchanan Barnes was tucked away and the only thing that remained in his place was Winter.

And that would have to be enough.

* * *

In recent times there had been a few things that had caused Elysia a great deal of confusion. She had not mentioned her episodes with the cold to anyone, not wanting to burden them or take up their time with something that might have been insignificant.

But she might have to tell them about this, because there was no way that they couldn't hear her at the moment.

She had been sleeping peacefully when there was a sensation that rang throughout her body. It was as if someone had cast lightning straight through her brain. It burned and there seemed to be no end to the pain.

Elysia flung her head back and tugged on her hair as she let out an unholy scream.

Thor bolted out of his bed at the sound of Elysia's tortured cries. Fearing the worst, he grabbed his sword and rushed to his sister's room, murderous intent in his every footstep at the thought of someone hurting her.

Kicking open her door Thor saw that Loki was attempting to calm a kicking and screaming Elysia, trying to pry her hands from her hair lest she rip it out. Aside from that there was no intruder to be found and Thor dropped his sword in slight relief.

Loki looked up at the sound and noticed Thor standing still in the doorway. He had been trying to calm their little sister to no avail and it was taking a toll on him. "Brother... please" Loki could not formulate anything beyond that, but the cry for help was interwoven into those two small words all the same.

At his pleading tone Thor snapped into action and slipped into the bed behind Elysia so that he could wrap his arms around her and limit her struggles. He placed his forehead on the back of her head and rocked them back and forth. Loki placed both hands on her cheeks and let his magic caress her skin, letting her know that they were here and she was safe.

The boys were silently debating whether or not to drag her back to Eir when Elysia's screams suddenly cut off. Tears were still pouring out of her eyes at a rapid pace.

After a few minutes she went limp in his hold, completely exhausted, the only thing keeping her from passing out was the aftershocks of pain that ran through her head. Elysia was babbling, unaware that she was speaking for the pain was too great for her to concentrate on anything. "Help him please, you must save him."

Thor had not ceased his rocking and spoke in a soft voice so as to keep her calm, "Save who sister?"

In a moment of shining clarity she locked eyes with him and breathed out, "He couldn't hold on and he's falling." She kept repeating the last two words as her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep, the episode making her tired.

Though they were worried, the boys did not take her back to Eir. If Elysia woke up in the morning and decided that she needed to see the healer than they would let her make that choice, but for the moment all they wanted to do was curl up beside her and rest for the night.

"She shouldn't have to deal with this you know."

Thor looked over at Loki and noticed that the younger boy had already gotten under the fur blankets and was now staring at him blankly. He sighed but did not argue, "No, it is not fair."

"Elysia will never admit it but she misses you. You need to be around more, she needs both of us and you cannot always be gallivanting around with those three commoners." The words were sharp and intended to injure upon release. However Loki would never be caught admitting that it wasn't just Elysia who missed their older brother.

Thor did not possess the energy to correct his brother and stand up for his friends. And if the look in Loki's eye was any indicator than it was clear that he was more hurt than mad. And everyone knew that Loki would rather lash out than speak about how he was truly feeling. Thinking back to the past few years he winced as he remembered throwing excuse after excuse at his siblings as to why he could not make time for them that day.

"I have done you both a disservice when it comes to being the eldest and I shall strive to remedy it immediately." They were not just empty words, Thor fully intended on righting his wrong. He should have noticed what he was doing but he did not, and he took full responsibility.

Loki's eyes softened slightly before he turned around so that he could play it off as merely shifting to get more comfortable. "See to it that you do."

Thor waited until both his siblings were asleep before he even thought about closing his eyes, wanting to make sure to catch any potential night terrors before they could take hold. That night he dreamed about all the things in their lives that were supposed to be different. Little did he know that the other two children were doing the same.

Elysia had thought that after the birth of her soulmate things were meant to get better and her future clearer.

Loki had thought that the older he and his siblings got the closer they would become.

And Thor thought that his family might once be free from the torment that seemed to attach itself to them like a shadow.

But alas the world had taught them differently.

* * *

AN: First off, I totally just created a random general cause I needed one and yes, I did just google a German name that would work. Second, I did some research into the Old Norse language and apparently there's really no exact word for soulmate and the closest that anything comes to it is Sannr (which means true) and Ast (which means love). So the best I could get was a rough translation of "true love". So that's what Bucky's words mean if anyone was wondering.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: So I had a completely different idea for this chapter when I realized (like the idiot I am) that in order to explain some things (now and in the future) about Elysia herself that I would have to explain things about her parents and what happened to them. So that meant I had to go back and start a new chapter for this, which is why it took so long. The anxiety that this chapter gave me was such a pain, but I hope that it turned out okay.

Something to note would be that Elysia calls Frigga and Odin mother and father, seeing as that is the more formal name for them, while she refers to her birth parents as Mama and Papa. I imagine the younger children of Asgard calling their parents that and since Elysia never really got to meet hers, she would have never stopped referring to them as such. It also made it easier to create a distinction about who she was talking about.

Ek ann þér: I love you

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Little Star**

Elysia had gone to see Eir that night but the healer could not give her much insight into what had actually happened. Without being able to witness it in person Eir did not have any way to measure the pain nor find its source. The best she could offer Elysia was that it was a side effect of the stone. After all there had never been another to absorb a part of it, giving them no precedence to use as a judge.

After that whenever she was hit with a wave of cold, or struck with the sharp pain in her head, it never lasted more than a few moments and it was never as bad as the first time. Elysia determined that there was nothing that could be done about it and that she would just have to live as though they were nothing more than minor inconveniences.

Another thing that had left her puzzled were her dreams. They were few and far between but occasionally she would dream of a man who was holding a strange looking item in his hands. She could never see his face, but when he would lift the object there was a loud sharp sound and a figure would crumble to the ground in front of him. The only thing she could ever see clearly was an image of a red star, but that did not provide her with any significant clues.

A shout from the outer courtyards drew her attention and she sighed deeply. She knew that this must once again be the cause of her two brothers. She pushed her food away and walked quickly to the source of the shouting. What she saw upon her arrival was not shocking.

Laying on the ground was Thor, holding his bleeding side while Loki stood off to the side with a bloody dagger. When it looked as though Loki were going to make his way back to Thor, she shot her hands out in front of her, creating a shield around the eldest.

Loki whipped his head in Elysia's direction, taking note of the large scowl on her face and pouted. "Why must you ruin all my fun sister?"

"Fun?! You call this fun? You _stabbed_ me Loki!"

With barely a head tilt in Thor's direction Loki tossed a reply back to him. "You act as though this is something new. Quit complaining, it did not even go in very far, you are fine." He was telling the truth, he had merely jabbed straight in and out, hardly called for all the fuss that Thor was putting up. Obviously by the indignant look upon his face Thor did not share the same sentiments.

"Loki I am sure that is not the point he is trying to make. You cannot just stick him with a dagger whenever you so feel like it." Elysia tried to be a voice of reason, but she doubted that it would help any. For months this had been going on between the two of them and for the life of her Elysia could not figure out why.

"It is not because I just so happen to feel like it." This time Loki turned to glare at Thor, who started to look a little sheepish, "He has broken yet another promise to me. He was supposed to accompany the two of us in the gardens yesterday for our lesson and I've just come to find that he abandoned us to explore the marketplace with those three commoners."

So that had been why Elysia's lesson was postponed. After getting over her initial shock at the amount of venom in Loki's tone, she realized the words that he had actually said. "Loki, you cannot call them commoners. It is ill mannered and untrue." She understood his frustration, she herself still did not care too much for the three boys Thor chose to stick beside. But at the same time she understood that it was her eldest brother's choice to choose his friends, that was not something her or Loki could take from him.

Loki stared at her incredulously, "How is it untrue? To us they are all commoners." Did his sister not understand that everyone else was below them? They were gods, royal gods. Mortals could never hope to be as strong as them, and even their own people would not rise to their royal station. He did not mean it in a cruel manner, it was simply the truth of the matter.

Elysia knew that she could argue with Loki all day long, but it would have no effect on him. She could say that according to the nature of her birth that she too was nothing more than a commoner compared to him. And yet she knew that Loki would tell her that while her parents were not of the royal family they were still nobles, thus making her more important than the others. And personally Elysia felt no desire to discuss such a matter at the moment. "I am not going to argue with you about this Loki." She leaned down and helped her eldest brother back up to his feet, "Thor, go to Eir and get that taken care of. I have things I wish to discuss with our brother."

Thor nodded at her before eyeing Loki warily lest he pounce once more. He understood that breaking his promise deserved some sort of retribution, but surely having a dagger shoved into his gut was taking things a bit too far. "Maybe you could persuade him into a less violent habit while you're at it."

She chuckled and nudged him into the direction she had come from, "I shall try, but I make no guarantees." Mischief was Loki's domain, and to try and drag him away from it would prove useless. Elysia faced her other brother and leveled a stern glance at him, "This cannot just be because he missed a simple lesson with us."

Indignantly Loki waved his arms in the direction that Thor had gone off to. "He made a promise Elysia, he swore he would be there for us more. And once again he has broken it." He did not understand why it was him that Elysia wanted to talk to, this whole situation could have been avoided had Thor understood the severity of an oath. Loki was only doing what he felt he had to in order to get the point firmly planted in their brother's mind.

That explained why Thor had been seemingly paying extra attention to their needs for days on end. "Mother did tell us that the older we got the more things would distract us." She shook her head and reached out for his hand, "Loki just because he has other friends does not mean that he has forgotten about us or loves us any less. It just means he has outgrown spending all of his time with his younger siblings." She could see the silent war that raged behind his eyes, part of him wanting to believe her and the other holding firm to his previous notions.

In the end vulnerability won and he bowed his head to gaze at the grass beneath their feet, "I just thought our bond was stronger than that." If anyone asked he would deny the tears that lingered in his eyes, but he knew that Elysia would never judge or tell a soul about his momentary lapse of control. Loki never had liked change and it seemed like the older they all got the more it came in abundance.

"Loki there are only two people in all nine realms that could stab him without incurring what I am sure is nothing short of a mighty wrath, and I am looking at one of them. I'd say that our bond is as strong as it needs to be." She did not know what to say beyond that. She could tell him that his views were false all she wanted, but unless the words came from Thor himself, Loki might not believe them. The best Elysia could do was remind him that the two of them had certain allowances with their older brother, ones that no one else, besides perhaps Sif, could attain. Beyond his soulmate the two of them were Thor's closest companions, Elysia just wished Loki would remember that more often.

There was a brief pause before Loki let out a breathy chuckle, and supposed that she was right. Had anyone else done what he had just now, Thor would have created possibly the biggest uproar that Asgard had ever seen. "How did it come to be that the youngest one became so wise?" He pinched her cheek as he teased her, wanting to let her know that he was calm again.

"I have been told that during her life, my Mama was a very grounded individual. Perhaps it's something that's passed down."

And with that the playful mood evaporated. It was not Elysia's intention, but given the date it seemed as though this was going to be a topic that would be on her mind constantly.

Loki turned his soft eyes on his sister, cursing himself for forgetting. "It completely slipped my mind...it is today isn't it?" The situation could only get worse if he was wrong and had just reminded her of one of her greatest losses.

Elysia shook her head and waved off his concern, guilt was the last thing she wanted him to feel. "It is alright, this morning I had forgotten as well." It had been happening to her more throughout the past couple of years. "I suppose the more time that passes the more they slip from my memory."

It was hard to imagine that a child could ever forget the anniversary of their parent's death. But when one's lifespan included several millennia, one day in particular seemed to fade to the back of the mind. It hurt Elysia deeply to think that she could ever forget the people who had given her life, but it was something she'd have to deal with.

"Ah, the curse of time." Loki nodded, understanding and wanting to make her feel like it wasn't her fault. From moments after her birth she had been passed to Frigga, becoming part of his family, it was not Elysia's fault that she did not remember those who did not raise her. Of course these were never thoughts that he would share with her, knowing that it would only cause her pain.

Saying that Loki was happy that her birth parents were gone would not be accurate. But he would not squander the gift that the Allfathers had given him in the form of his sister, regardless of who had to be sacrificed in the process.

Elysia's reply was quiet as she contemplated how she felt, "A curse indeed."

Loki wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he began to lead her back towards their home. "You know if you ask mother I am sure that she would share some of her memories of them with you. Maybe then you'd have something more than just names to hold onto."

Let it never be said that Loki would not do all in his power to cheer up his little sister, even if it was not something he could help with personally.

A laugh rang out around them that sounded awfully familiar to tinkling bells, "You call me wise and yet not once have I ever thought to do such a thing." Elysia moved her arm around Loki's waist and leaned into him further. She had never thought that there might be memories of her parents that Frigga and Odin might hold that they would be willing to share with her, and she loved Loki all the more for pointing it out to her.

She looked up at him with shining eyes and stuck her tongue out at him, "Now can I trust that another dagger will not lodge itself into our brother's flesh?" She had no doubt that eventually another one would, but she would like to limit the amount of damage if at all possible.

Knowing that this was a particularly hard day for his sister Loki nodded his head sincerely, "There will be no more incidents on this day, I give you my word."

He waited until she had moved her gaze onto something else before a smirk made its way across his face. There would be no more mischief today, but tomorrow was after all a new day free of promises.

* * *

Elysia was fortunate that today was a very slow day in Asgard. There had been no major incidents or casualties that would monopolize her parent's attention. So when she made her way to the throne room none of her father's guards made a move to hold her back from entry, instead bowing their heads as she passed.

She hated when they did that. And judging by the small smiles on their faces, they all knew it too.

Pushing open the doors Elysia saw a sight that made her heart melt. There in the center of the room were her parents, slowly twirling around with large smiles plastered across their faces. She had half a mind to turn around and simply leave them to their bubble of happiness, which she knew all too well came around scarcely, when their eyes locked onto her form.

"Daughter, is everything alright?"

Although he was not upset, Odin's voice still boomed throughout the room, and Elysia instantly grew nervous. They seemed to be having such a good moment together and she hated to be the one to ruin it. However the curiosity to find out if Loki's previous inquiry was correct won over her anxiety and she squared her shoulders, knowing that Odin would appreciate a self-assured request more than a timid one.

"Everything is fine father." She tried to ignore the way both their forms relaxed at that, "Loki just bought a matter to my attention and I was curious as to whether or not you and mother would entertain the idea."

The children had all learned early on that the key to talking to their father was in fact not to sound like the children they were. According to Odin, the royal children of Asgard were not to speak in public as though they were anything other than fully grown Asgardians.

If Loki and her hated it, then Thor absolutely abhorred the rule. For once in his life he did not create a big fuss about it, he just simply refused to speak in such a political manner with their parents. But somehow he was the only one of the three who was able to forgo that particular rule without repercussions or the threat of extra lessons.

Her inquiry had effectively drawn the full attention of her parents as they released each other and turned to face her. "What was it that your brother said my darling?"

Frigga's smile was gentle and it relaxed Elysia enough to stop worrying about their responses to her question. "Loki mentioned that it might be possible for you to share stories with me..." She paused, looking down at her hands knowing that what she was about to ask was sensitive in nature. "Memories you have about my parents."

There was a moment where not a single one of them dared to breathe. Elysia was shocked out of what felt like a lifetime of silence when the bright sound of laughter filled her ears. The problem was that this came from a voice that she had never heard before. Her head snapped up and she was immediately entranced by the sight of a young man and woman who were racing around the throne room without a care in the world. Her eyes filled with tears as she realized what Frigga had done.

Instead of sharing a simple story with her, Frigga was instead showing her a physical manifestation of her memories. And that could only mean that the young man and women were her parents.

Gunnar and Asta.

They were so beautiful that it almost hurt to look at them. The man had a head of bright blonde hair that rivaled Thor's and his skin looked as though the sun had come down and kissed it itself. His dark brown eyes held amusement as he tried to catch the smaller woman who looked so much like Elysia. The woman's hair was the same shade of midnight that she was accustomed to seeing in the mirror, but the eyes are what caught her attention. They were grey, a color that might have been boring in so many other contexts, but on her Mama's face they seemed to glow.

Elysia Gunnarsdottir came from some seriously good genes.

Gunnar finally caught up with Asta and that's when Elysia noticed the bump on her Mama's stomach. The air was ripped from Elysia's lungs as she realized that she was seeing her parents when they were pregnant with her, before everything had gone wrong. The bump was not significantly big and had it not been for her Papa's large hand carefully cradling the area Elysia never would have noticed its existence.

 _This was right before the war began._

Elysia was so focused on their forms that she completely missed the whirlpool of emotions that were stirring in the other occupants of the room. Had she looked over she would have seen souls that dimmed in color, but her eyes were not going to stray any time soon.

Odin glanced over at his wife with a sad sigh, "Are you sure that this was wise?" He was trying his best not to look at the image of his dead friend, feeling that awful all-consuming guilt start to crawl its way back up his throat. Even though centuries had passed it still burned just as bright and just as hot.

There were many things that he wished he could change about the war with the Frost Giants and Gunnar was always the first. He should have let his friend stay behind to attend to Asta, especially when the due date had been so close, he should have let his friend stay behind with his family.

But Odin was selfish and did not want to ride into battle without his second in command. And that choice, that selfishness, cost his daughter her mother and father. With one decision he had changed the destiny of an entire family.

Frigga was having the opposite problem as her husband, she could hardly take her eyes off of her dear friend. Asta and her were as close as Thor, Loki and Elysia were. That loss had stung deeply, it still did, but Elysia's presence helped soothe that burn.

Risking a glance at Elysia, Frigga could see that the girl was struggling. She had only ever known their names and now she was seeing the two people that she had yearned for her entire life, seeing what they looked like and how they loved one another.

But fate had been known to be cruel, and it proved to be once again. Elysia had the unique privilege of seeing them, but they would never see her.

Perhaps her husband was right, maybe this hadn't been the wisest of decisions. But it was the look of complete awe on her little girl's face that told her regardless of the consequences, this was exactly what she needed to see. She needed physical proof that her parents had been real people, not just some story that everyone had come up with to appease her.

"We both knew that one day she would ask questions about them, it just came a little sooner than expected is all."

Odin could not argue against that, when she was younger every anniversary of their death was played out with baited breath, wondering if she would ask for something that they could not give her. They could explain how Asta died to Elysia, but they could never explain a mother's love and how deep it runs. They could never explain why the fates had ruled it so that Asta died minutes after giving birth holding the newborn Elysia on her chest for the first and last time, or how Gunnar had been cursed with never getting to see his little girl that he had been eagerly anticipating.

They could explain what had happened, but never why it had. And their biggest fear was that one day she would want to know why and that they would have to disappoint her with their lack of answers.

"I can understand telling her about them, but is showing her exactly what she lost doing her any favors?" Odin looked into Frigga's eyes, trying to find the answer to the question he did not wish to voice aloud.

"I believe that if the roles were reversed Gunnar and Asta would have shown the boys something similar long ago. They would not let us be forgotten from their minds, and in that aspect we have failed Elysia every day."

Odin's question was answered. He silently held his hand out towards her, knowing that the easiest way to find the memory Frigga was searching for was within his own mind.

However it appeared that he could not read his wife as well as he thought he could.

Frigga was startled out of her trance when she felt Odin's fingers brush up against her, but that feeling quickly faded as she realized what it was that he meant for her to do. That was not her intention, and there was no possible way in all the nine realms that he should even think such an idea would ever be on her mind. "I was _not_ going to-"

Odin gently cut her off, "Perhaps in a way you are right. She is no longer a small child, and if she wants to know more about them than she should know how she came to be."

Frigga shook her head at him and whispered fiercely, "You would have her watch them die?" She could not believe what he was saying. Not even minutes ago he had questioned her desire to show Elysia a happy memory of the two, and now he wanted her to recreate the moments that caused her orphancy.

His stare bore into the back of Elysia's head. "I would have her watch them tell her to live."

* * *

The scene in front of her changed and her parents were no longer smiling. Instead of a small bump, it was now quite obvious that her Mama was pregnant and would soon be welcoming her into the world. Fear snaked its way through her and squeezed her heart. All she knew was that her Mama had died shortly after childbirth, and that meant the time was rapidly approaching.

"They called your father the sun and your mother the moon, something that they both firmly embraced." Elysia tried to turn towards Frigga but she could not find the willpower to take the action. She was still soaking in the sight of her parents and was afraid that if she looked away for even a moment, that they would once again disappear from her life.

Had she been a little braver she might have tried to reach out to them. Try to grasp ahold of them and feel their touch upon her skin for the first time.

But the greenish tint that outlined them, so soft that many would not have seen it, let her know that should she reach out she would be met with nothing but air.

"There are important things that you should know about them, but I warn you, they are not attached to pleasant memories." There was a slight pause before Frigga's voice continued to carry towards her. "The price of that information is entangled with their deaths."

"I want to see."

There was no hesitation in her response. Elysia knew pain and she knew death, the concept was not new to her. Sure it would hurt to actually see them perish, but if she could have a moment's glimpse of how much they loved her than it would all be worth it. She did not want to forget them and this way she could have a memory of them that would never fade.

Elysia watched as the images in front of her seemed to come back to life and she was sucked into the private moment in front of her.

* * *

 _Gunnar was kneeling on the floor, his arms wrapped around Asta's waist and her forehead leaning on his. The tears in his wife's eyes nearly broke his heart. He tried not to pay attention to the other men who were having similar goodbyes with their own families._

" _Must you go? The baby will be here soon, surely if you asked Odin would let you stay. And if not I am sure that Fi could persuade him."_

 _They had been having this argument for days now. The call for war had been made and it was Gunnar's duty, not only to his people but also to his friend, that he unsheathe his weapon and respond to the call. "My love I must fight," he rested a hand on the area where his child rested, "so that she does not have to. I must protect Asgard so that she can be raised in peace." Looking up into those grey eyes that he loved so much, Gunnar hoped that Asta would understand._

 _She did understand, truly she did. Asta would give anything to ensure that her daughter would grow free of worry. She could not imagine how Fi was feeling at the moment, having a young Thor to care for while her husband had to ride headfirst into battle was far too much to have to deal with. But the thought of losing Gunnar overshadowed the empathy she felt for her dear friend. "I would rather raise her in a war torn home than without a father."_

 _Gunnar shook his head at her, that would never happen. There was too much waiting at home for him not to return. Seeing that he was still firm in his resolve Asta finally caved, knowing that he was too stubborn and far too loyal to be persuaded out of this._

" _Swear to me you'll return home. Do not leave your daughter and I waiting long."_

" _My love, there is nothing in this realm nor the next that could ever stop me from returning to your side." Gunnar leaned down and placed a kiss on Asta's protruding belly, "Papa loves you little one, and I cannot wait to see your face. You will be a beauty much like your Mama." He threw a wink up at his wife, adoring the slight blush that painted her cheeks._

 _Gunnar stood and pulled Asta to this chest, lifting her wrist to place a tender kiss on his black scripted words. Choking down his emotions Gunnar slipped back into their mother tongue. "Ek ann þér" he whispered to her before turning to leave, knowing that if he stayed any longer he would lose all willpower to walk away._

" _Ek ann þér" Asta whispered back to the wind watching her husband walk away, not knowing it would be the last time she would see him in this life._

Elysia had never before had such a longing to reach out and stop someone. Somewhere deep in her mind she knew that these were only memories, not things that she could actually change, but a more primal part of her believed that if she shouted loud enough her Papa might hear her and turn around.

In an instant it seemed like the whole room changed around them. Even though they were not outside the whole place darkened as though they were looking at a stormy sky. The air around them seemed to freeze as the sound of fighting rang out around Elysia.

The sounds of swords hitting ice resonated throughout her entire body and her eyes frantically sought out the form of her Papa. Locking eyes on him her heart stilled. He was cutting his way through an army of Frost Giants with a fierce gleam in his eyes getting closer and closer to where a younger Odin stood fighting off what must have been King Laufey.

She knew how this battle was to end, but there was a vast difference between hearing about it and seeing it with her own two eyes. Especially since she knew that things were about to get much worse. Maybe Frigga had been right, she might not be able to watch her Papa die.

 _Gunnar had seen his friend trying to take on Laufey and abandoned his own enemies in his pursuit to aid Odin. By no means was he trying to brag, but based on how swiftly he was cutting through the Frost Giants he was not overly concerned about focusing on them. In the midst of shoving his sword through yet another body he heard Odin let out a sharp cry of pain._

 _Instantly he looked up to see his friend, one knee firmly rooted to the ground while he held his hands to his face. The blood that coated his hands, slipping down his face as well, was a clear indicator that this fight was not going the way they planned._

 _Gunnar ran faster than he ever had before, trying to reach Odin before Laufey had the opportunity to kill the Allfather. When in range he swung his sword across Laufey's back and watched as the monster fell over in agony._

 _Normally such a sight would cause him distress, for inflicting pain had never settled well with him, but this case was different. He was fighting this war for his family and he would do what he had to in order to ensure their victory._

 _Gritting his teeth, Gunnar lifted his sword above his head, ready to strike Laufey down once and for all when he grunted and froze. Something wasn't right, in an instant everything changed and he just knew that he had to look down._

 _It felt like time itself was halted when he saw the sharp end of a large ice shard sticking straight out of his abdomen. Gunnar had seen many fall to the sword, but never had something looked more unnatural then when he was seeing it happen to himself. But time stopped for no man and soon thereafter he fell to his knees, dropping his sword, as Odin's shout of protest echoed around them._

 _He hadn't even seen it coming, having been too engrossed in his single mindedness to end this whole affair. And now his family would pay the price._

 _Before he could fall over there were arms wrapped around him that hurriedly lowered him to the floor. Frantic hands ripped the ice away, causing fire to burn in his veins. Gunnar did not possess the strength to tell him that taking the shard out would not help. The pain only grew when those same hands begun pushing against the fatal wound._

" _Stop Odin." His words went unheeded as Odin continued to put pressure on the wound, blood spilling out through his fingers rapidly. "My friend stop!" Gunnar knew that it was pointless. The wound was far too severe to fix, and even if it could be fixed there were no healers with them and he would bleed out before they even got close to Asgard._

 _Odin looked lost. The pain in his newly empty eye socket was clouding his judgement as he tried to think of a way out of the situation they were in. But no matter which way he turned, there was nothing giving him any indication of what to do._

 _Gunnar reached up and grasped a hold of the back of Odin's neck, drawing him down closer to him so that he could look him in the eyes. He had to get this out, he had to tell Odin before his time ran out for there was no other option left. "Swear to me that you will protect them. Swear to me on Thor's life that you will let no harm come to them."_

 _It did not need to be said who he was talking about._

" _I swear on his life that I shall always watch over the two of them. Do not worry my friend, they will not be alone."_

 _Gunnar allowed himself to relax slightly at the promise, knowing that if he could not be there himself that his friend was the next best thing for them. "I promised Asta I would come home, I-" he broke off, feeling his voice crack. He had been so adamant that this would not happen, that there was no way he would not return to her side. How was he supposed to convey that to his friend? Gunnar did not know how to apologize to Asta for this._

" _Tell her I tried."_

 _Odin had seen many of his warriors in their death throes, but never had he been so affected by one until now. But if a message is what Gunnar wanted him to relay, then no matter how much it hurt to do so he would ensure that Asta received it._

 _Gunnar smiled up at Odin. He was not afraid of death, only of what he was leaving behind. "You know old friend, I have always favored the name Elysia."_

 _Knowing he only had seconds left Gunnar closed his eyes and imagined Asta and their daughter. She would be beautiful, the most beautiful thing that Asgard had ever seen, and he mourned that he would never be around to see it._

 _And right before Gunnar slipped away he swore he could almost hear Asta's voice telling him she'd see him soon._

 _Odin grasped a hold of his friend's limp hand, squeezing it tightly as he shed tears. There was no time to mourn the dead during war, but he found that he could not stop the tears even if he tried. His closest friend, someone he called brother, was gone because he had been bested by the Frost Giant king._

 _Gunnar was dead because Odin had not been strong enough._

 _Ignoring the pain in his face, Odin picked up his friend's fallen sword and turned around to face Laufey once again, determination filling his every pore. He was ready to end this war right now._

Elysia had not moved, nor taken a single breath, as she stood ramrod straight staring at the younger Odin grieving over the body of her Papa.

She wanted to scream, she wanted to destroy anything near her. She wanted to rip her name from her body and cradle it close to her heart, because it was something precious that her Papa had given to her. The only thing she had of him, and it was not even something she could touch.

Her Papa had named her. In his last moments he had thought of her, and it hurt. It burned and ached as the feeling spread throughout her body causing her eyes to take on that unnatural golden glow.

Instantly she held her hand up in Frigga and Odin's direction, "I am fine. There is no need for concern, I am in control."

Elysia needed to see what happened next, she had to see what happened to her Mama. She could cry, and scream, and breakdown later once she was alone. Right now she had to hold it together otherwise Frigga would deem it too much for her and she might never get to see this again.

She curled her hands into fists and forced her body to take in steady breaths while she calmed herself down, all while keeping her eyes on the ground. She did not want to look up and see the pity in their eyes. She was well on her way to adulthood now and she did not need her mother and father to hold her hand when things got tough.

She owed it to her Mama and Papa to see this through.

 _Asta had been playing with Thor in the throne room while Fi was taking over for her husband. The men had been gone for about a week and no word had been sent back to them. It was worrying, but Asta had the upmost faith in Gunnar's promise to her, she just had to wait a little longer._

 _Every day that he was gone she prayed that their daughter would wait to come until her Papa arrived back._

 _Thor had one of his ears pressed against her belly as he talked excitedly to the baby. When he had been told that the little girl could hear their voices he had insisted that he have a time when he could speak to her, wanting to make sure that she would recognize his voice when she was born. Her and Fi had gotten a nice laugh out of that one._

 _Right as Asta was about to call Fi over to hear what Thor was saying, a sharp searing sensation ran across her wrist. She winced and flipped her wrist upwards to try and see what the source of her sudden pain was._

 _The last thing she expected to see was Gunnar's words turning a haunting grey. Asta stopped breathing and felt a massive wave of panic overtake her. There was a horrifying sound in the background and Asta felt her knees give out._

 _She did not know how Fi had made it to her so fast, but instead of falling to the floor she was slumped against her friend. That awful sound was still ever present and Thor was trying to reach out for her, no doubt worried and frightened about what was happening._

 _The sound only grew louder and she realized it was her screams that bounced off the throne room walls._

 _Fi was yelling at her, begging her to tell her what happened, but all Asta could do was scratch at the greying words. She couldn't believe it, it had to be a dream. Because there was no way that fate would be so cruel as to condemn her to live without her soulmate, to make her daughter live without her father._

 _And in the midst of her shrieks, water gushed out from between her legs and her face paled._

 _Asta lost all sense of time as healers were rushed in to transport her to their quarters. She could not decide who to think about, her lost soulmate or her incoming child. Colors and shapes became one and soon all she could focus on was the pain of her contractions._

 _The next thing she knew Fi was hovering over her face telling her to push. Asta could see her mouth forming the words, but she heard nothing. Regardless, Asta did as she was told and pushed. The pain was almost enough to distract her from Gunnar._

 _The need to see her child hit her hard. Asta had to see her daughter, the only thing she had left of her soulmate._

" _Stop!" One of the young women helping yelled out suddenly. Her voice was filled with distress and it very nearly chilled Asta's blood. That was not the tone you wanted to hear while giving birth. "Lady Asta you need to stop pushing, if you continue there is a high chance you will hemorrhage."_

 _Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and all looked to their queen for direction on how to proceed, all except Asta. She knew what they were trying to say, that there was now going to be a debate over which one of them to save. Over her dead body would she allow them to choose her over her daughter._

" _If it comes down to a choice, you save my baby." With one last lethal glare leveled their way, she ignored the healers and did what her body was telling her to do._

 _Frigga nodded solemnly to the healers, knowing that this was not a choice she could make for Asta. She too was a mother, and if their places were reversed she would do anything to save her son._

 _Asta did not know how long she pushed, only that she did not stop for anything. It was only when a fragile wail broke out that she finally came back to her senses. Fi helped her sit up as her eyes locked onto the baby encased in the healer's arms._

" _My baby..." She held out her arms, desperate to hold her daughter. "Give me my baby." Asta ignored the uncomfortable gushing that was still occurring between her legs._

 _Perhaps somewhere deep in her mind she knew something wasn't right and that the hemorrhaging must have already started, but the sight of her perfect baby girl took priority._

 _When her daughter was placed on her chest Asta felt complete in a way that she never had before. But as quickly as she felt it the feeling was gone, and in its place was a vast emptiness that she did not know existed._

 _Gunnar should have been here, he should have been able to see his daughter's face and try to find which parts of her came from him. Seeing the little tuft of black hair atop her head and her pale skin Asta was hit with a memory of something long ago and smiled. "How fitting it is that the moon and the sun created a star." Fi let out a watery laugh from beside her but could not argue with the logic one bit, the baby was the perfect mix of both Asta and Gunnar._

 _They would have made the perfect family, if only fate had given them the chance._

" _She's bleeding out, go get Eir!"_

 _Asta heard what the healer had said, but she refused to take her eyes off her child. She knew it sounded crazy, but she could feel Gunnar calling for her. Tears ran down her face at the thought that she too would leave this precious girl behind._

 _She turned to Fi and begged, "Make sure that she knows she is loved so very dearly by her Mama and Papa, and that we wanted nothing more than to be with her."_

 _Frigga shook her head at her friend, still in shock by how wrong this day had gone. None of this was supposed to happen, how could the Allfathers have allowed this? "Do not talk as if you will not survive this Asta, Eir is on her way just hold on a little longer."_

 _Asta wondered if Fi would understand her a little more if she had been the one to lose her soulmate instead._

 _Feeling her eyes start to close unwillingly, Asta quickly soaked up every image she could of her baby, not wanting to miss a single thing._

" _Our little star." Asta whispered the words as she placed a soft kiss on her daughter's forehead._

 _Her daughter's wails filled the room once more, almost as though she were aware that her mother was leaving her. It broke everyone's heart, but there was nothing they could do, because Asta had just been claimed by death._

 _In the end Asta's only regret was leaving behind her nameless daughter._

 _Frigga picked up the baby girl and clutched her to her chest as she began sobbing over the still body of her lifelong friend. And in that moment she swore that this little girl would know a mother's love, even though Asta could not be the one to give it._

The figures shone a bright green as they dispersed in front of her, but still Elysia could not remove her gaze from where they had just been.

Watching one's parents die centuries after they were already dead caused a strange kind of grief for the soul.

Her Mama had given up her life so that Elysia could live instead and she would remain eternally grateful to her for that. Her Papa took his last breath before she even took her first, but he had just enough time to give her a name. In those ways Elysia would carry them with her every day in a way that she never had before.

They both sacrificed so much for her and for each other, Elysia prayed that they had been reunited in Valhalla. After all if anyone deserved such a peace it was them.

Odin and Frigga both silently agreed to let her have whatever time she needed before trying to engage her in conversation. They would use the time to try and think about how they could console her, because at the current moment they could not find any words that held meaning.

What did you say to comfort a child who had just watched their mother and father die before getting to know them? What words would ever make that easier to bear?

* * *

"I feel like I should apologize to you," Elysia said after several minutes of silence. But she still had not gathered the strength to turn and face them, "I never realized that you lost them too."

That was not the conclusion that they wanted her to come to.

"Yes..." Frigga answered hesitantly, "We did lose them, but we got the chance to raise you because of it, and I cannot bring myself to regret how things have played out all these years." Odin placed a hand on his wife's back, silently supporting her.

The loss of their friends had been crippling, and the only thing that helped heal it was raising the three children.

They could tell by the look on her face that she did not believe them, and in one of his truly rare moments, Odin spoke from his heart. "We may have took you in because of obligation, but we kept you because of love."

Frigga was pleasantly surprised by her husband, knowing that there was a thousand other ways that he could have handled this, and all of their endings had a bleak outlook. On the other hand Elysia did not know what to do with his comment. They had all made it explicitly clear to her that she was not a burden thrust upon them, but never had they been so blunt about it.

An unexpected twinge of self-hate hit her. Elysia was tired of constantly needing validation for her place among her family. When she was younger it had been understandable, but when she was nearing a thousand years old it became annoying and unbecoming. She just wanted to make her heart and her mind understand that she was not an outsider, she never had been.

"You were born on the very same day the war was won, one might call that a miracle. However your mother and father died on the day the war was won, many would call that a tragedy."

Elysia understood where Odin was coming from. That war was one of Asgard's biggest victories, but the price they paid for it had been brutal. It was the duty of the older ones to pass along that knowledge to the younger generation so that when their time to fight came, the same mistakes would not be made.

It seemed ironic that somehow miracles and tragedies could not seem to exist without the other.

"It is strange because I have never seen myself as an orphan. I had you, so there was no reason too. I'd like to believe that that's exactly what my parents wanted me to think." Elysia turned and looked at her mother for the first time since the images faded from the room, "Does that make me selfish though? Would they hate me for replacing them?" Elysia was afraid of the answer. She desperately wanted reassurance that such was not the case, but she did not think she could bear it if it turned out to be true.

Frigga looked at her daughter and wondered when it was that she had gone so wrong that Elysia believed that it was wrong for her to know the love of a parent when hers were gone. "Who told you that there is a limit to the love we can receive or give? There is no such thing." She placed both hands on the girl's cheeks and looked deep into her eyes. "You had a mother and a father who loved you very much but were unfortunately taken away from you, and now you have your father and I who also love you as if you were our own. My darling there is no fault to be found in that."

"I just feel like if I could do something that would make them proud then somehow I could make it up to them for not always honoring their memory."

Frigga huffed in loving exasperation. How could she think that they would ever be disappointed in her? Elysia was everything that Asta and Gunnar dreamed about and more. The two of them would be so proud to see how she dealt with the infliction of absorbing part of an infinity stone as such a young age. "My darling you do that every day. The way you carry yourself-"

She was cut off when Elysia moved out of her grip, "Is all you. You taught me all I know" she stated firmly.

"That kind of kindness cannot be taught. That kind of strength comes from a place deep inside, where only you can reach." Frigga wished she could say that she was the cause of the perseverance that ran through her daughter's veins, but at the end of the day the only reason that Elysia was so strong was because she was determined to be that way.

Elysia brought a hand up and quickly wiped away a stray tear that had tried to make its way down her cheek, "Well I wish they were around to see it."

Odin walked over to his girls and threw an arm around her, drawing her into his warm embrace. "As do we."

Gunnar and Asta may have been gone, but they were never forgotten, and in the end maybe that was really all that mattered.

* * *

"They did what?!" Thor's voice rung out, nearly deafening the other two occupants of the small room.

"That is not what I meant in the slightest. I thought perhaps it would do you some good to hear some stories about them, not watch them take their last breaths." Loki growled out with one hand rubbing circles against his ear.

Needless to say, Thor and Loki had not taken the retelling of the day's activities well.

Elysia had figured that Loki would be disgruntled at best, and she honestly didn't think that Thor would have anything to say on the matter.

Rushing to play unexpected damage control Elysia assured them, "It's okay. I'm glad- well I suppose glad is not the right word. I'm appreciative for it." Her words were not doing much to calm either one of them but she had been through enough today and did not want to deal with an argument on top of it all. "It was hard to watch but I got to see how much they loved me, even in their very last moments they loved me so much. There is no story that could ever tell me that more than what they showed me."

Ever the faithful brothers the two quieted down, still furious but willing to let it go for her sake. Sometimes Thor felt as though he did not understand his parents. They constantly claimed that Elysia was more sensitive than them and that they were to make sure that she was protected from any harm that might come her way. So he could not wrap his head around why they would show her something that could cause the biggest damage to her heart on nothing more than a whim.

Looking at her eldest brother it was almost difficult to imagine that at one point in time he had been that small child hanging onto her Mama's dress. "Actually I did see you with my Mama for a moment, do you remember anything about them?"

Thor scratched the top of his head and tried to think back, but not much was coming to mind. Sure he remembered Asta's screams, he really did not think he could ever forget that sound, but everything happened so fast after that and he had been very young at the time. "Honestly I cannot say that I remember much from that time. I do remember mother coming into my room the next night with you two in her arms saying that I now had a younger brother and sister."

Both Elysia and Loki turned to stare at him in confusion, "Wait...you saw the both of us at the same time? But Loki is older than I am." How was it even possible that Thor had never seen Loki before that night?

Thor paid their anxiety no mind, "Mother said that you were very sick when you were born Loki, so no one was allowed to be around you until you got better. That and she wanted to keep you out of the public seeing as how there was the war going on and they did not want our enemies to have knowledge of you."

It made sense in a way. Frigga would have wanted to ensure the safety of her children and if that meant hiding one's existence until the danger had passed then Elysia was sure that that's what she would do. However to her knowledge Loki had never been really ill when they were children. Perhaps it was one of those illness that only babies are susceptible to and that he came out of it stronger than before. Either way Elysia was not going to dwell on it.

The three of them spent the next few hours talking about everything and nothing all at once. It was comfortable for each of them just to relax in the others' presence. They huddled around the fire until all three were yawning. Deciding that it was time to rest Elysia bid both of her brothers goodnight, sending them off to their rooms with a kiss to their cheeks.

Catching sight of the moonlight that entered her room through the open door leading to her balcony, Elysia thought of her Mama and how her ebony hair truly caused a glowing effect. Making her way outside she leaned against the railing, the only thing that stood between her and a drop through the air that would have devastating consequences even to her kind.

" _Our little star."_

Her natural affliction for the incandescent burning balls of light made more sense now. It was quite possible that subconsciously her soul recognized the connection between them and her parents. Maybe it was nothing more than a childish yearning, but when she looked up at the vast sky she could almost pretend that she was speaking to the two of them. "Just let me have tonight. Let me cry over you one last time with everything I have, because from now on I want to focus on honoring your memory rather than mourning it."

Elysia wondered if her soulmate could feel her heartbreak from across the universe. She wanted to shield him from her torment, but the thought of hiding a part of herself from her other half made her feel more alone than ever.

She prayed that her soulmate would never know the pain of being an orphan. And she hoped that until she was able to be in his life, that he would never have to be alone.

* * *

AN: My friend said something along the lines of Frigga not actually being able to take a memory and turn it into a physical form, and my response to that is: well she can now. Because this story is mega fictional and I definitely change things from cannon, I can one hundred percent tell you that this is not the first and will not be the last time something gets changed. Roll with it please, it will eventually make sense, I swear. I remembered when Frigga was talking to Loki in his cell in Thor: The Dark World and thought it was cool that she could make life like images and thought "You know what would be pretty freakin' awesome and sad at the same time?" and thus the basis for this chapter was born.

 _SunnySides_ : Okay I loved your comment and I 100% agree with you, German Hydra man is most definitely an idiot. I mean in his defense he had absolutely no idea that there is life outside of earth so he truly believes the soulmate is human, so in his mind his plan is unparalleled genius but we all know that in reality he's just a complete idiot. In regards to the torture aspect had Elysia been anyone else they probably would have actually tried to do tests and come up with various theories, but because at this point in time she's the only one they know of who has ever absorbed an infinity stone they really have no idea if it's just a side effect or not. Heck yes Tony is definitely going to snark his ass off about a whole lot of things. And Thor and Loki would totally come blazing into Hydra ready to kill everyone if they took Elysia, but only if she didn't break herself out first. And I love the space jokes, keep em' coming, lord knows I've made my fair share while writing this.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Alright guys fair warning, I did use google translate. So to anyone who actually speaks Russian, I am deeply sorry if I got it completely wrong. Thank you to everyone who's reading this story and everyone leaving reviews. I love hearing what you guys think.

Molodoy: young one

Uchitel: teacher

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Pasts Tainted Red**

Winter looked out at the group of young girls that he had spent the last couple of years training. None were excellent, but a few were passable. The one with the red hair would be one of them, he was sure of it. There was a certain coldness she had at her disposal that would allow her to do the things necessary to survive.

The girl they called Natalia did not look like much at first, but underneath those childish features lied a fighter who would do whatever it took to see tomorrow. This was something Winter had come to begrudgingly respect about her.

It was hard to remember that despite their lethal nature, these girls were nothing more than children. And children were naturally drawn to what they didn't understand, which is why whenever he wasn't training them he could feel their eyes roving across his form trying to categorize all the different ways that made him a threat. Those eyes had all quickly scattered when he sought after them. All except Natalia's.

She had gazed at him as though she were trying to break him down layer by layer just so she could see what made him tick. She stared unabashedly and not even his iciest glare made her flinch away. But the worst part wasn't her ever-present eyes, it was her questions.

When Hydra first sent him to what they were calling the Red Room Academy, he had thought this whole assignment seemed senseless. What was the point of training twenty-eight girls when they only intended for one to survive? Winter thought it was a waste of potential.

He was going to break them down, push their boundaries further then they thought possible, and he would do it all without an ounce of regret. This was the mission his handler had given him, and he would complete it with swift efficiency.

At least that was the plan.

All it took was one little red headed girl to throw him off with her lack of fear towards him. She still got on his nerves with her incessant need to engage him in conversation, but over the few years Winter had come to realize that it was the norm for them now. She would ask him a question and he would either answer it or ignore her and she would take it in stride.

Sometimes when he would look at Natalia the flashes of a young girl with brown hair, so similar to his, would flood his senses and the name Rebecca would echo in his head. But he had learned long ago that echoes hurt, so he cast it from his mind as though it were nothing. He couldn't tell if that made it easier or more difficult to be around Natalia.

"Собираетесь ли вы сегодня спарринг или мы просто тренируемся?"

Speak of the devil and she shall appear.

"English Natalia." Without looking up he flung one of his knives at her head, "You know better by now." Just like he expected, Natalia simply tilted her head out of the danger and let the blade sink into the wall behind her. He would have been pissed if she let it hit her. Not because she would have been injured but because after how long he spent training her, such a failure on her part would make him look like an inadequate teacher.

Although Winter understood every word that she had said, it was still wrong for her to converse in Russian with him. In order to improve on their language skills, the girls were instructed to only speak English when they were with him. Something about how good spies would be able to speak English fluently, but the best spies had the power to fool you into believing they were American from birth.

"And no, we are not going to spar today. But that doesn't mean you'll get to slack off cause you have to fight next week." He paused, debating whether or not to make her privy to the future plans. Winter would never admit it but Natalia was his best student and he found that there was a small part of him that wanted to make sure she succeeded. Yes, telling her would put the remaining girls at a disadvantage, but there was no such thing as honor among assassins and spies. "You will have an audience this time. Make sure to prepare yourself."

After next week there wouldn't be twelve girls anymore, there would be six. Every girl was required to fight so that they could prove they had the skill set needed to complete the program. They thought the weak were being weeded from among them and Winter wanted to scoff at their ignorance. He didn't understand how they could not see that this cycle would continue until only one of them was left standing.

He thought it would be more obvious considering they started out with twenty-eight and now there was only twelve.

Winter was proud in a nontraditional sense when Natalia gave away nothing in her expression that would indicate that the news had affected her. She was as cold and emotionless as she was when he first met her, and that had been what kept her alive all these years. She never stopped learning and improving, causing her undefeated record to remain as such.

There had been talk that the graduate of the Red Room was to become his partner. Winter didn't need a partner, he didn't want another distraction that he would have to haul around with him. But if his handler gave him the order he would have to obey. Out of all the girls here Natalia was the one who bothered him least, she would be dangerous and swift because he would make it so. Winter was training his future partner and he was going to make damn sure that they were up to his standards. And so far the only ones who came close were Yelena and Natalia.

Yelena Belova was a strong fighter but she was much too cocky, and that would be her downfall. It was clear to anyone with a working sense of vision that the blonde-haired girl with sharp blue eyes was confident that she would soon pass Natalia up and come out on top. And while Winter didn't like the thought, he could not argue that it was improbable. There was really only one thing that Natalia lacked and unfortunately it was quite a vital thing. "There is only one girl who will prove to be a challenge for you" he informed her.

"Yelena."

Winter took a second to nod at her, pleased that she knew who her biggest competition was without having to tell her. "But at the moment, as you are now, you will not beat her when it actually matters." This was not him trying to put her down, rather to let her know that there were things she needed to improve on.

Natalia scoffed at his assessment. She'd give credit where credit was due, Yelena was deadly, but she was sloppy and that made her highly predictable. "I win all of our spars. Yelena is too rash and impatient, all I have to do is hold her off until she gets frustrated and makes a mistake." Natalia was one of the only girls whose strength matched Yelena's, which is why when the girl lashed out she could stand her ground. Some of the younger girls had not been so lucky.

Clearly she was not getting the point that Winter was trying to show her. "That may be so, but there is one thing I have yet to see you do that I have seen from her on multiple occasions. And that one thing will determine who lives and who doesn't." He would be quite upset if she failed, all that potential would be wasted if she could not get over what was holding her back.

"And what could that possibly be?" There was a frigid anger that she hid deep in her irises, wondering what it was that somehow made Yelena better than her in Winter's eyes. She thought it childish but still she could not help but want her uchitel to be proud of her, to give her his patented backhanded compliments that only she seemed to receive, and to remain being the only one of the girls he looked with something more than disinterest.

Yelena Belova threatened to take that away from her, and the thought caused a surprising amount of rage to flow through her. Jealousy was the answer her brain supplied her in response to the pit of anger that had taken root in her chest.

"You always delay making the killing blow and Yelena shows no reservations there."

That was the problem? He had gotten her concerned over something that would never occur? Annoyance quickly flooded her features, "What's the point? They will never pit the two of us against each other like that, we are too valuable to them."

This was the kind of goddamn ignorance that Winter had hoped Natalia lacked. But at the end of the day she was still a child, one whose future was not up to her, so he supposed a bit of ignorance was to be expected.

"That kind of thinking will get you killed. Never think about what might or might not happen, prepare for the worst and nothing will ever surprise you." Winter gave her a hard look, making sure that his next point was drilled into her head, "There can only be one survivor here molodoy. You'll have to get over whatever innocence you are clinging to about eliminating your target if you want to ensure it's you who leaves in one piece."

There was a hidden implication in his words and it was glaringly obvious to Natalia that her uchitel knew more than she did. She hated it when she didn't know something. She was the one who was being hand trained to be one of the best spies in the world, there should be no secret that she couldn't find out. But the fact that Winter thought that Madame B would pit her two best students against one another, knowing full well that only one could walk away from it, was confusing to her.

"Do you want to live?" To anyone besides them it was a simple question. But to those whose life didn't belong to them, the idea of living and what it entailed was vastly different, and not always was it a good thing.

Her teeth clenched so tight that she wondered if they would shatter under the weight of the words coming out of her mouth, "Of course." She had broken bones and shed her own blood to get to where she was. Natalia refused to be like those other sixteen girls who had lost their lives because they were too weak to endure.

There had been twenty-eight of them, and now there was twelve. Natalia had earned her place among them and would be damned if she let something like empathy stand in her way again. She had to do her best to bring honor and glory to the Soviet Union, anything less than that was unacceptable.

"Then don't hesitate."

Natalia would never tell him that she only hesitated because every time one of them looked in her eyes knowing she was about to end their lives, she could always see the plea to spare them written plain as day. And she knew that the only thing they were guilty of was following the same orders she was. Every time she had to kill one of them Natalia felt as though she were killing herself.

It was unsettling, that's why she hesitated.

* * *

Just like her uchitel had said there were now only six girls remaining. Natalia and Yelena had not been paired together during the last fight which put her on edge, because now she felt like she was sitting on pins and needles waiting for that day to come. Natalia had made a conscious effort to dispose of her opponent as quick as she could, but she knew that Winter had seen that brief moment when she paused right before she snapped the girl's neck.

Natalia didn't let much get to her, in fact some would say that she was emotionless, but the small almost invisible frown marring Winter's face when she paused filled her with shame and frustration. And those were emotions that she couldn't seem to shake.

It had been a week and a half since that day and still Natalia felt as though she could not face him. She had taken her frustrations out on various punching bags and had not even blinked when presented with their live target for firearms practice. She aimed and imagined it was Yelena before she pulled the trigger with precise accuracy, wanting to prove to herself that she could do what her uchitel had told her.

The girls' lesson for the day had just ended but Natalia stayed rooted to her spot firmly, determined to speak to Winter. He ignored her until they were the only two left in the room, turning around and calmly meeting her eyes.

The two of them stared at one another, analyzing everything from the rate of their breathing to the slightest twitch of a finger. Natalia would not apologize for her actions nor would she try to justify or explain them away. What's done is done, she could not turn back time and do things over again. Besides, her uchitel wouldn't want empty apologies, he would expect to see her improvement.

Natalia could stare down practically anyone, but Winter had a way of making it seem as though he was breaking down every wall and defense that she had carefully put up over the years. She knew how to extract secrets from her targets, a skill that was required in their field, but there was something empty about his gaze that seemed so unnatural. It kind of pissed her off that he could so easily unravel her without even uttering a word.

Finding whatever it was that Winter was looking for he finally addressed the red headed girl who looked like she wanted nothing more than to bare her teeth at him, "I am a weapon, do you understand what that means molodoy?"

It went without saying that she ignored the relief she felt when he called her by that term. Surely if he was upset with her than he would revert back to her given name.

Had he been anyone else Natalia might have laughed condescendingly, but this was her uchitel and regardless of their mutual annoyance with each other at times, he did hold her upmost respect. "I am too. So what reason is there for me to fear that?"

Not reacting to her bait Winter carried on, "You should fear what you do not control. And at the moment that would be everything, including yourself." He resisted the urge to curse, somehow feeling like it would be wrong to do so in the presence of a child. He had never had to watch his language so much as he did during this assignment.

His words proved to be an effective way to shut her up. Winter had not minded the reprieve that he had gotten when Natalia had been avoiding him because she no doubt thought he was angry with her. Sure, he had been watching closely to see if she would hesitate or not, and she had but it was different from the way she used to.

It was almost hard to believe that her small hands had taken lives. There were some moments, like now, when it was made very clear that Natalia was still at an age where she would need some reassurance. She was an enigma to Winter most of the time. She could be cold and callous and the very next moment be worried that she had failed him, it seemed exhausting to switch moods like that. "Weapons aren't made easy, it takes time. Don't worry so much about something that can be fixed easily."

Another cryptic answer. Winter wasn't going to praise the girls even if they somehow managed to impress him, a feat none of them had fucking accomplished, but if you listened to his harsh words carefully there may have been a pat on the head buried in there somewhere. And that's what this was. Winter was telling her that it was okay for now that she had made that minor slip up and that it was fixable.

Satisfied that she had gotten the gist of his words, Winter made to walk past Natalia when she suddenly started speaking.

"I like it when they make us dance." The words burst through her lips before she could restrain them. There was just something in the way he carried himself that reminded her of what she saw in the mirror, that said they shared the same demons. "I feel like I am more, even when we have to practice the same routine till our feet bleed."

He didn't know why but he decided to entertain her, "More what?"

"More everything. The truth...at times feels unclear."

And this was the exact kind of conversation Winter had always tried to avoid having. It was inevitable that one day at least one of the girls would try to find something else to define her. All they knew was order and controlled violence. They practiced ballet until their routine was deemed perfect, they were expected to master how to kill and seduce their targets, they were trained in hand to hand and weapons until it was ingrained in their instincts, and when they slept they were handcuffed to their beds.

A perfect mixture to create the current cage that enveloped the young girls.

But the thing about cages was that sometimes they don't work. Sometimes all a cage does is make its occupant long to escape it.

Natalia was the only girl that remained unintimidated of him and he didn't expect this topic to be one that she would willingly bring up. He wasn't the type to give advice, mostly because he didn't care enough to, but this was different. Had he overheard another girl talking like this he would have reported it back to his handler and one of the Academy's supervisors so that they would be free to use the information in any way they chose.

He hated that Natalia was different. She had wormed her way under his skin to the point where there was a minuscule part of him that was eager to see her succeed as his student. If she was thinking what he thought she was then he needed to put a stop to it right now. "The truth is what we make it."

There was a strange kind of detached curiosity that coated her voice, "What do you mean?"

"Truth is flexible, it is always changing. Just like us. But there is one truth that won't ever change." Cruelty was not his intention, but if that's what it took then that's how it was going to have to be. "You are not a ballerina Natalia, you are a killer and a spy. You always will be, because that is our purpose." Winter needed to make her understand. Some things were just out of their control, they were set in stone. For people like her and him this was what they had, there was no place for them in the world, not anymore. "So be what they need you to be and you will get through this with your life."

One would think that hearing that would hurt, but it didn't. Her uchitel didn't say that she couldn't enjoy dancing, he just said that it couldn't be her life. And Natalia knew this, she knew exactly what she was training to become. But she could not deny to herself the small part of her that wished the images she saw behind her closed eyelids at night were more than just dreams, or perhaps they were memories, she could never quite figure that one out. She would keep that part of her locked away, it would be safer that way.

She smirked and nodded, satisfied with his answer and watched as this time he was able to leave the room without any interruptions from her.

Lately whenever she was around her uchitel there was a word that came to mind. Natalia didn't quite know what the word meant in a normal context, but to her knowledge the definition fit Winter's actions.

Someone who assumed a role by providing guidance or protection.

Natalia hadn't thought much of the word until now, never having known anyone who fit that criteria. She was an annoyance to him on good days but that did not dismiss the fact that he had given her more guidance than any other adult in her life. It was mostly guidance in regards to hand to hand combat, in which he had kicked their asses on multiple occasions, but he had just nudged her in the correct direction so surely he embodied that definition.

Older brother.

That was the word she was looking for.

Natalia couldn't remember ever having a family before, but if this was what it felt like to have one than she supposed she could understand why people would lay their lives down just to keep it safe.

* * *

Time seemed to pass by slower while he was at the Academy. Winter didn't think there was ever a time when he stayed in one place for so long. There was no ice and they hadn't made him go back to the chair yet. There was just a room with a bed and a schedule that he followed regularly.

The only current thing he was displeased with was the lack of his soulmate.

The odds of him finding her decreased every time they froze him. He was always cautiously checking his wrist when he awoke, knowing that one day he could be greeted with a light grey instead of an obsidian black.

He wondered if whatever it was that created soulmates had ever thought about how cruel it was to leave the biggest reminder of their mate forever imprinted on their skin once they were gone.

Winter wasn't a religious man, but he thanked every god and deity he knew about whenever he saw that his soulmate was still alive and well.

He had been conditioned to accept his handler's word as law, but none of that would save the man if Winter awoke to find his mate gone. The party responsible for taking him away from her would be eliminated. His current handler understood his built-in mission objective in regards to his soulmate and had allowed it to stay.

When he found her, he knew would never let her go. He would protect her and care for her, give her everything she'd ask for even if it was his own goddamn heart on a silver platter. She would be his and he would be hers.

But he swore the waiting was going to fucking kill him.

Winter was drawn out of his brooding when he felt a staggering amount of grief hit him from out of nowhere. It was an emotion he couldn't ever remember feeling, sure he had seen many people experience it, but he personally couldn't say he had ever gone through it. The feeling seemed to be coming from the words on his wrist.

He didn't know that such a thing was possible, to feel things from your soulmate. He had never heard of it occurring before. He didn't fucking like it at all. Winter didn't know what could cause this kind of pain in his soulmate and a small voice in the back of his head kept telling him to fix it.

He growled out loud at the sound of it. How the fuck was he supposed to fix this? He hadn't met her yet, he couldn't ask what was wrong or kill whatever it was that was causing her the pain. The more the grief increased the more desperate he became to make it stop.

Desperation was also another emotion that Winter avoided like the plague.

Wrapping his metal hand around his worded wrist tightly he tried to send his strength to her. It stood to reason that if he was feeling something from her than if he concentrated hard enough that he might be able to send something back. The problem was that Winter didn't know how to comfort someone, didn't believe he was gentle enough to do such a thing.

But he had dealt with pain, that was familiar, so he did his best to send what he thought strength would be. There was a pause in the assault before the sadness seemed to dim. He was unprepared when suddenly a large wave of warmth enveloped him. His heart skipped a beat and Winter was momentarily concerned that there was something wrong with the organ.

' _Love.'_ Once again that small voice pierced his skull like needles. Before he could process what was happening a small body plopped itself down beside him. Immediately Winter wiped everything from his face and let it rest back at its blank state.

"They let you keep your words?"

Shit, this kid asked whatever the hell she wanted to. Just jumped right into the most sensitive topic there was without a care in the world. Winter's mind raced as he tried to think about ways to get him out of this conversation.

Natalia was genuinely curious as she nodded towards his right wrist that he was gripping onto. Her own had been scarred over. All twenty-eight girls' soul words had been burned off of them once they showed up. Some of the girls shed tears at the heavy loss, but not Natalia. Here soulmates were considered to be nothing more than a distraction, and distractions could only ever get them killed or their cover's blown. Besides, how could she miss a soulmate she had never met?

The most valuable skill that they were being taught was the ability to belong anywhere, but in order to do that they first had to belong nowhere. That led to cutting off the girls' connection to the only people who would ever truly be home to them.

So they took fire and let it burn until there was nothing more than a jumbled mess of twisted skin and unrecognizable words.

Winter resisted the urge to snarl at the very thought of anyone trying to sever his tie to his soulmate. Natalia may not be afraid of him now, but he knew without a doubt that she would be absolutely fucking terrified of the person he would become if they came after his words. "My handler calls it motivation."

Before Natalia had sat down, she had seen the look of complete concentration on his face while his eyes seemed to burned holes into his wrist. There was no possible way that he didn't have his own opinion on the matter with a look like that. "What do you think of it as?"

"I don't care what is it as long as it's mine."

It was such a simple phrase, but the way he said it gave off the impression that it was an absolute fact. Natalia was taken aback. She had never had anything that she could call her own, nothing in the world that was completely and utterly hers. The look in Winter's eyes was uncomfortably unfamiliar to her, but it was the most alive she had ever seen him.

What was so important about a soulmate that it lit a spark of determination in her uchitel?

A lump formed in the back of her throat and she tried to swallow it down. She thought that people like them didn't get to be like that, didn't get to call anything their own. She had never questioned it because that's the way she thought it was supposed to be.

The longing for something she had never missed before hit her like a tidal wave.

Seeing her eyes latch onto his words with absolute fascination like she too wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch it, caused Winter to soften somewhat. It was almost as if she believed something would happen if she made contact with the words, like the very surface of the earth would shake beneath their feet.

It wouldn't, but he understood what that felt like. Hope was a bitch of a thing to feel for people like them.

"Maybe you'll meet her one day." It was the closest Winter was ever going to get when it came to showing Natalia that he thought of her as something more than his student. Telling her in six little words that he would trust her around the one person he unconditionally cared about. The one person who was going to be his whole world.

And really that said everything.

Natalia wanted that. Wanted to meet the girl on the other side of the words that had put some semblance of life back into one of the emptiest people she had ever known. She wanted to inspect every inch of this person and discover what it was that made her so special.

Natalia considered Winter her family, even if the man would never know it, so by extension his soulmate also fell into that category. This lost girl was one of Natalia's now.

Maybe the girl could breathe some life back into her as well.

* * *

"It has come to our attention that you have developed an attachment to one of the girls."

Winter hated that they tried to make it sound like a dirty thing. Natalia and the other girls were just that, _girls_. There was no way in hell he was even thinking about any one of them like that. For fuck's sake, the thought of it had his stomach rolling in disgust.

Instead of voicing any of that Winter just nodded his head and clarified his intentions, "I have a strong reason to believe that Natalia will be the last one remaining." Of course, at his explanation their eyes lit up with interest. "There's something familiar about her. She has what it takes, so I'm putting more effort into her."

Winter missed the tick in his handler's jaw when he was done speaking. Madame B walked closer to Winter and tilted her head in contemplation. She knew that Natalia was one of the best that she had ever possessed, but so was Yelena. She wanted to know what he had seen that made that distinction between the two of them.

"What is it you see in her?"

"Me."

That was the highest form of praise that Winter could give one of the girls. Madame B grinned at him, pleased that she had not been wrong about Natalia. It was widely known that Hydra had done something extraordinary with the Winter Solider, creating what many thought was impossible. He was a legend, and Madame B wanted to have one of her own.

She turned and nodded towards his handler before leaving the room. Facing his handler, Winter's stomach dropped as he recognized the look on his face. His mind raced, going over everything he had said, trying to locate what it was that caused that look to appear.

 _There's something familiar about her._

How could he be so fucking stupid? He knew that at the slightest hint of him finding anything nostalgic had his handlers shoving him at the nearest scientists demanding that he be "fixed". He had become far too lax in watching what he said. He should have kept his mouth shut, because it was too late to snatch those words back from the air.

It was no surprise when he was taken into another room across the Academy where the metal chair that haunted his thoughts sat. While they hooked him up to it, he thought back to the last few years. He shouldn't have gotten close to Natalia, should have ignored all attempts she made to engage him. He should have been less obvious in his preferment to her as well.

Winter should have done a lot of things differently, but if given the chance he wouldn't.

He was always destined to end up back in this chair, no matter what choices he made. His life was an unbreakable cycle that had an unchangeable destination. But he had made a difference for Natalia, helped keep her alive, he couldn't find it in him to regret that.

The last thing on his mind before they begun wiping him was that he hoped Natalia would have the strength to do what it took to continue surviving. It was strange but a small part of him was actually going to miss that little red headed girl, her incessant need to keep him company, and the way she treated him like an actual fucking person. It had been nice.

It was a shame he would never remember it.

* * *

Abandon the hesitation.

Natalia had taken Winter's words from years ago to heart. And when she killed every last one of the four remaining girls who proved to be potential threats to her survival, there was no hesitation to be found. She didn't even blink when she slit Yelena's throat. Yet she did revel in the muted surprise that overtook Madame B's face when it happened.

 _Yelena and Natalia both took their places on the opposite side of the mat, Madame B stood off to the side observing them. Both girls were watching the other and waiting for their signal to begin._

 _Green eyes clashed with blue. One filled with cold calculation and the other clouded with hatred. Natalia kept her features carefully blank, determined not to give anything away and Yelena's ever-present smirk had not disappeared despite the heavy weight that this fight carried._

 _Only one of them would walk away from this._

 _Madame B gave the signal and a blur of red and pale blonde rushed to meet each other. Yelena thrust her fist out and Natalia easily ducked low and caught her with a fist to the underside of her chin. Yelena had never been one for strategy, preferring to strike hard and fast, relying on brute strength and psychotic urges to get her ahead in the program._

 _Yelena cursed as she hooked her foot around Natalia's and swept it out from under her while she took a step back. Instead of falling on her back, Natalia used the floor as a springboard and flipped so that she landed in a crouch._

 _Growling, Yelena ran forwards and tried to knee Natalia in the face. Throwing both hands up Natalia absorbed the blow and shoved it from her face. What she didn't expect was for a hand to grasp onto her bright red locks and yank forwards, causing her face to rush towards the ground._

 _Knowing that if she gave Yelena even a second then the fight would be over, Natalia swung her leg out and swiped Yelena's right out from under her, sending the girl tumbling to the floor. Flinging herself out of the range of Yelena's reach, Natalia jumped up and could hear Yelena doing the exact same. She turned around to see a foot flying towards her, and this time she couldn't avoid it._

 _Yelena sent a roundhouse kick to Natalia's sternum, sending her stumbling backwards as she tried to balance herself. The hit disoriented her long enough for Yelena to grab her arm and use her own body weight to flip Natalia over her shoulder. The air was knocked out of her when she landed hard on the mat below her. Before Natalia could regain her bearings, Yelena straddled her and used both hands to latch around her neck painfully tight._

 _Struggling to take in air Natalia tried to buck her hips to dislodge Yelena, but the girl was relentless and refused to let go._

" _Ничего личного Наталия, я думаю, я просто лучше тебя." Yelena's smile widened as she continued to cut off Natalia's air flow. There was a hint of derangement in her eyes, almost as though she could see her goal in sight, all she had to do first was kill Natalia._

 _While she had been talking Natalia had brought her knees up and towards Yelena's hips so that her feet were off the ground. She wasn't going to die with Yelena above her gloating. Natalia waited until Yelena was done with her little victory speech before she swung her feet up in the blink of an eye and planted them against the blonde's chest and kicked back. The hands around her throat were ripped off and the room echoed when Yelena's head slammed down against the mat._

 _Natalia sucked in a much needed breath of air and ignored the raw feeling in her throat. That would definitely bruise._

 _Both girls quickly rolled and jumped to their feet. Natalia smirked while Yelena let out a savage cry as her victory was snatched away from her. As predicted Yelena was so furious that she lost all reason, and once again she charged directly at the red head aiming to cave her skull in._

 _Once she was within range Natalia reached out and grabbed Yelena's outstretched arm and jumped so that she used the other girl's slightly bent knee for momentum to push off of and spin around behind her. Her other leg swung around to land on her hip and the arm that Natalia had not let go of went in the same direction and snapped when it was pulled beyond its normal range of motion._

 _With the added weight of Natalia on her back Yelena fell to her knees on the mat. Before she could make another move there was the sharp bite of a knife at her throat and she froze._

 _Really, Yelena should have known that Natalia hadn't gone into this fight weaponless. After all, there was no such thing as honor among assassins._

" _Ничего личного Елена."_ _Natalia said, imitating Yelena's previous words,_ _"Ты никогда не был лучше меня."_

 _But before she could slide the knife across the pale skin she remembered the smug look on Yelena's face when they had been informed that Winter was no longer going to be their uchitel. Natalia may not have known what happened but it was obvious by that one look that Yelena had something to do with it. Her jealousy at not being his favorite was known by all of them. Natalia wouldn't put it past her to have gone straight to Madame B with false claims of concern._

 _Remembering caused that familiar burning rage for the girl underneath her to come back with a vengeance and Natalia pushed the knife against Yelena's neck harder, drawing a thin line of blood that trailed down, tainting the white shirt she wore._

 _Yelena had been the bane of Natalia's existence since they started training. Always making snide comments, taking pleasure in offing members of the twenty-eight, and taking away the one thing in her life that brought her some semblance of comfort._

 _She had grown to care for her uchitel as family and Yelena had preyed on that and ruined it._

 _Natalia wanted to make her suffer for it._

 _But she couldn't._

 _Like her and every other girl who had been training alongside them Yelena wasn't given a choice. Natalia couldn't blame her for trying to make the best of the situation that they were in. Suddenly she felt a great deal of pity for the young woman she had trapped, but Natalia pushed it aside and leaned down to whisper in her ear knowing what she had to do._

" _Если есть ад, я увижу тебя там Елена."_

 _Natalia locked onto Madame B's slightly wide eyes as she quickly slit Yelena's throat and let the body drop to her feet. She wanted that woman to see what she had created, to see how easily Natalia could kill someone she had known almost all her life._

 _Natalia looked down at Yelena's body and saw a river or red flowing from the large cut across her jugular. She watched as that deep red flowed on the mat below and how what was once blonde hair quickly became unrecognizable. Yelena's eyes were wide open, staring off in the distance lifelessly._

 _Looking down at her hands Natalia could clearly see that they too were covered in the bright red substance and she finally understood._

 _She understood why they called her the Red Death._

 _It had nothing to do with the color of her hair and everything to do with the color that stained her hands._

Natalia was blood, iron, and fire all trapped in one body. The other twenty-seven girls had never stood a chance.

The most valuable lesson she learned was from her uchitel, and that was to never ask for forgiveness when fighting for your life. And she had been fighting for as long as she could remember. Natalia thought back to the conversations they shared years ago and wondered what a weapon truly was. Because if she had been a weapon back then, what kind of monster was she now?

But was a monster truly a monster if they had no choice? What if they didn't know any different?

Maybe Natalia Alianovna Romanova had been a weapon, but she was more than that now. She had gathered so many different titles since that night. They said she'd become a legend, but everyone knew legends were carved out of granite and bathed in either righteousness or sin.

It was not hard to figure out which one she would turn out to be.

The Black Widow.

Natalia wondered how much red would taint that name.

* * *

Here's the rest of the translations:

Ничего личного Наталия, я думаю, я просто лучше тебя: It's nothing personal Natalia, I guess I'm just better than you.

Ничего личного Елена: It's nothing personal Yelena.

Ты никогда не был лучше меня: You were never better than me.

Если есть ад, я увижу тебя там Елена: If there's a hell, I'll see you there Yelena.

AN: I wasn't going to originally put a Red Room chapter in here, but thought screw it. It's an important aspect to James and Natasha's relationship with one another and I'm not going to deprive them of it, although I did change some things about what actually happened in there. Lord knows that time had a great deal in shaping Natasha into who we see in the movies, so I'm definitely not going to pretend it doesn't exist or just gloss over it. Hope my version of young Natalia wasn't too awful.

 _SunnySides:_ Dude, I love you. I was cackling while reading your comment. Their soul words don't fade completely, they just turn a dull grey when one dies. That's because then people know whether or not someone's soulmate is gone, cause some people aren't born with words (they are older than their soulmate). And I had an awful thought of people walking around asking someone how long they've been waiting for theirs only to find out that they had died. So instead of the words fading I thought grey words would be a nice way to avoid those kind of awful painful conversations. As for when the two of them meet I have two different ideas, one is sooner than the other. But I'm debating which one I want to use based on how well it flows together, and which one seems more realistic.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: It Starts Like This**

Today was a big day.

Almost as big a day as their naming ceremony. Pretty much every Asgardian was present and their cheers were deafening.

Opposite to the makeshift throne that had been carted into the open banquet hall specifically for this occasion, stood Thor in all his glory. His armor has been polished and his deep red cape stood out like a beacon on his back. In his clenched hand was Mjolnir, raised high for everyone to see.

Loki and Elysia stood beside Frigga to the right of the steps that led to where Odin was perched atop his throne. Both had to contain their joy for Thor, knowing that it would not be suitable for them to clap in public. They would have to wait until they were alone to express their congratulations.

The Warriors Three stood on the staircase opposite of them and Sif resided on the stair below the two siblings. Elysia had understood why Sif was standing with them, being Thor's soulmate, but she didn't have the faintest idea why the other three boys were allowed to wait with them as though they were family.

Blinding smile plastered across his face, Thor made his way towards their father, stopping to hold the hammer high once more as he soaked in the sound of praise coming from their people. Their mother wore a look of fond exasperation, knowing by now that her eldest was one to preen under attention.

However the more he continued to do so, the more uncomfortable Elysia began to feel. She understood that he was excited for this day, but it just seemed like he was living it up a bit too much. The way he egged the crowd on, encouraging their boisterous noise, didn't seem fitting.

They weren't actions that spoke to the wisdom of a future king, but instead of a boy who still had a lot to learn.

Quickly glancing over at Loki she could notice the strain on his face for the first time, no doubt realizing the same thing she had. She didn't dare look at their father though, knowing that she might not like what she saw reflecting back.

Elysia subtly reached for Loki's hand, hoping to calm her sudden nerves. It warmed her heart when her brother merely grasped ahold without a single word. Both watched as Thor finally made it to the base of the stairs where he proceeded to kneel.

Elysia resisted the urge to slap a hand to her forehead when she watched him smile charmingly at their mother as he winked up at her.

Frigga wanted to laugh at the cheek of her son. He reminded her of a young Odin, full of confidence and the shared belief that they were on top of the world. Instead she settled on the slight shake of her head, the tiny up tilt of her lip exposing her amusement.

Odin stood and hit his staff against the floor, drawing every eye onto him as a hush fell across the people. "Thor Odinson, my heir, my firstborn."

Everyone was so engrossed in Odin and what he was going to say that they missed the slight sneer that Frigga sent him as she forced herself to turn her eyes away, all previous amusement vanishing. The sheer audacity that he had to forget the past both astounded and aggravated her. Her teeth clenched as she thought back to a time when the sun seemed not to shine on Asgard, when a very different dark-haired beauty strolled these very halls full of power as she shouted commands left and right.

If she closed her eyes Frigga could almost imagine what it would be like if different choices had been made, had Odin and her noticed things a parent should notice before it becomes too late. She imagined a scenario where her husband could not claim such things, a time when the very foundations of their home was not buried beneath pretty lies and shaky testaments.

Frigga's struggle went unnoticed as Odin's voice continued to carry, "So long entrusted with the mighty hammer Mjolnir forged in the heart of a dying star, its power has no equal, as a weapon to destroy or as a tool to build." Odin paused, thinking that perhaps it may not have been the whole truth, but he still wasn't ready for the universe to know about Elysia. "Tis a fit companion for a king." The insinuation laid heavily upon that statement. "I have defended Asgard and the lives of the innocent across the nine realms from the time of the great beginning."

Elysia prayed to every Allfather, hoping that this was not going to be one of his long speeches about the history of their home. They had all heard it so much by now that they could probably recite it verbatim. Elysia was not ashamed to admit that she focused her stare on a crack on the wall and let her father's speech flow into one ear and out the other.

"Do you swear to guard the nine realms?" Loki squeezed her hand, letting her know that now was the time to pay attention. She watched as her eldest brother began swearing his oaths to the throne and all those in their kingdom.

"I swear."

"And do you swear to preserve the peace?"

"I swear." There was more conviction laced in the words, yet still that small grin had not been wiped from his face.

"Do you swear to cast aside all selfish ambition and pledge yourself only to the good of the realms?" Elysia tried to ignore the way Odin said it. The way the knowledge in his eyes betrayed his true feelings. The Odinson family all knew what Thor was like, and Elysia hated that their father would phrase the question in such a way that practically set her brother up to fail.

Her father said it like he knew his son would only be able to accomplish half of that oath.

"I swear." Thor raised Mjolnir in the air as he practically shouted his response, clearly ready for them to move onto the main event.

Loki glanced down at Thor wishing that the sliver of doubt was not rooted in his heart. Thor was not selfish in the way that many were, his was an unintentional result of how they were raised. Nobody had ever told Thor that he couldn't do anything, that he was incapable or not allowed certain advances. He had gotten used to getting his way.

And though Loki knew that there was nothing more important to Thor than protecting their people, he also knew that his brother's need to come out on top along with his rashness could at times be labeled selfish. That's why he was concerned by the sureness in Thor's voice when he made that oath. He feared what would happen to him if it was accidentally broken.

"Then, on this day, I Odin Allfather, proclaim you..."

Eagerness was pouring off of Thor, every cell in his body awaiting those final words that would signify all of his hard work. Prove to anyone who doubted, that he had been deemed fit as his father's heir. All the training he went through, the battles he fought, the blood that he had shed, all led to this moment.

This moment when he would no longer be just a prince, but a future Allfather.

The air around them shifted as both Odin and Elysia went stiff.

Colors burst from inside her, shooting off in a million directions, only visible to her. Something deep in Elysia tugged at her, on an anchor she didn't know existed. An old, deep anger she had only ever felt a handful of times rushed through her. It was calling her, commanding her body to move. And her body was all too happy to obey.

There was an energy signature that didn't belong. It reeked of maliciousness and whatever was on the other end of the line, rooted firmly in her very being, possessed an ancient wrath. It was not pleased that there was danger nearby.

Loki sent her a bewildered look as he had to jerk her back towards him, wondering what his sister was thinking about so deeply that she was about to walk away from the ceremony while it was still going on. But between her and his father, Loki wasn't sure which one to look at. Both were acting strangely.

"The Frost Giants" Odin murmured as his eyes focused on something in the distance.

Instantly everything made sense. Odin could feel Asgard at its very core, was on a wavelength that no other could understand. He knew every inch of their land in the same way that Elysia knew souls, how she would know if a foreign one was ever present.

It wasn't hard to put two and two together. The Frost Giants were here to retrieve what Odin rightfully took all those centuries ago.

Odin tapped his staff on the ground once, the sound echoing through her bones, and the royal family all knew what it meant. The Destroyer was now taking care of the intruders, with a swift efficiency that would eliminate any chance of accidental casualties.

Frigga was left to explain what was happening to their congregated people as Odin swept down the stairs, beginning his trek towards his vault. Thor dutifully followed behind, well placed fury etching the lines of his face, and Loki and Elysia quickly shuffled out after them with hands still intertwined.

In the back of her mind Elysia couldn't help but think that this whole thing sounded an awful lot like a coronation before it had been interrupted.

* * *

The vault was a mess when they arrived, bodies slung across the floor caused her chest to ache. Friend or foe had no bearing, all was hard to look at. Ice coated the floor and ran alongside the walls, creating a coldness that was hard to ignore. Elysia buried her face in Loki's shoulder, taking comfort from the excess warmth his attire brought him.

While her father and brothers all wore armor, she was in her formal wear. A dress, a flimsy dress that provided no heat in this dungeon like room. She cursed their customs for stating that it was most inappropriate for her to arrive in a warm cape and silver-plated protection.

Thor on the other hand was looking around in thinly veiled anger, taking in the sight of damage caused on what was supposed to be his important day. "The Jotuns must pay for what they've done."

She pulled her head away from Loki's shoulder long enough to ask, "Thor, they're dead. What more could you wish for?" Elysia hated this. Hated standing there trying to pretend that the promise of vengeance in her brother's voice didn't frighten her. She wanted to turn around and flee from the room that reeked of death.

Odin was looking at the Casket, inspecting to make sure there was no harm done. "Your sister is right. The Destroyer did its work, the Casket is safe, and all is well."

The scoff that made its way out of Thor's throat sounded harsh, "All is well? They broke into the weapons vault! If the Frost Giants had stolen even one of these relics..."

Elysia could feel the irony prodding at the back of her skull. It was as if he had forgotten that the three of them had broken into the very same vault when they were nothing more than mere children.

Whatever bait Thor was setting up had not affected Odin in the slightest, "They didn't."

The Frost Giants had escaped with nothing, not even their own lives. If anything, it already proved to be a good enough warning to others that they shouldn't try the same.

"Well I want to know why!"

Loki's head flew back as he stared at his brother in shock and Elysia's grip on his grew tighter. He had wisely chosen to remain silent, knowing that the slightest comment from him could spark a match between the two. Never had they spoken to their father with anything less than the respect he deserved, and they had certainly never raised their voices to the man.

To Elysia and Loki this whole thing was very simple. If Odin, Allfather to the nine realms, wasn't asking any questions then why should they?

But Odin was proving to be patient with Thor, choosing to explain his reasoning instead of forcing it upon him without so much as a word. "I have a truce with Laufey, king of the Jotuns."

Thor sounded incredulous as he stared wide eyed at his father, "He just broke your truce! They know you are vulnerable." He did not understand how Odin was not worried about this attempt.

Vulnerable wasn't exactly the word Elysia thought of when she pictured their father.

Odin finally turned around, "What action would you take?" This was so very clearly a test that Elysia almost prayed Thor would keep his mouth shut. There was only one answer that Odin was looking for and she already knew it wasn't the one that Thor possessed.

"March into Jotunheim as you once did. Teach them a lesson. Break their spirits so they'll never dare try to cross our boarders again."

And just like that Thor failed the test he didn't even know he was taking.

Elysia closed her eyes and tampered the rising urge to back away from her eldest brother. For so long she had tried to ignore what was staring her right in the face. There was far too much of Odin to be found in Thor, and it broke her heart. She missed the brother that had been more intrigued by the beauty around them and not the most effective way to cause his enemies to submit.

There was a vindictive part of her that she liked to forget about, that hoped Odin could see what he had done to his own son. See how he had twisted Thor into someone who would rather fight their way out of things with no consequence to the people around him.

As much as he would like to deny it there was a distinct disappointment in Odin, "You're thinking only as a warrior." Asgard was not in need of another warrior. Perhaps it was for the best that the ceremony had been interrupted. The two of them continued to argue, Thor with a passion that burned red hot and Odin with a spine of steel wrapped loosely in subtlety.

"This was an act of war!"

"It was the act of but a few, doomed to fail."

"Look how far they got." Thor gestured to the small carnage behind him with the hand that wasn't holding Mjolnir.

Blocking every one of his excuses, Odin remained calm and collected. "We will find the breach in our defenses and it will be sealed."

There was a grim determination that washed over Thor and although Elysia had remained silent, everything in her screamed to stop whatever it was that was about to come out of his mouth. Thor didn't always run things past his brain before he put them out in the open.

"As king of Asgard-" Thor started heatedly, not understanding that this was a button that was not to be pushed when it came to Odin.

"But you're not king!"

The following silence was louder than Odin's shout, cutting through all three siblings. Elysia and Loki wanted to step forward for their brother, wanted to let him know that they stood by his side, but Thor was only the heir to the throne, he didn't sit upon it. And that fact seemed to escape him. In this instance Thor was in the wrong.

Elysia didn't know how to defend someone who couldn't even admit that they've made a mistake.

"Not yet." Odin walked away, unaware that he had left his children to once again clean up the mess he made of them.

* * *

Thor had stormed out of the vault once it was clear that Odin would no longer be in the immediate vicinity. The two remaining siblings decided to give him a bit of space, but not too much in fear that in his tantrum Thor might do something stupid.

The tense silence that enveloped the room dispersed and settled into soft waves as Loki and Elysia refused to separate from one another. No words needed to be exchanged between them, both knowing that there was nothing that could help them make sense of what had just happened.

Every family had its dark spots and cracks that were kept well hidden, but their family's cracks were more like caverns.

Their particular brand of brokenness had been busted wide open with every dismissal they received from their father, every misplaced guilty look he threw at his two youngest when he thought no one was looking, and the way he had made it so very clear that asking for a tangible gesture of his love would have been considered a weakness.

They were broken down and put back together in the worst of ways.

All because their father didn't know how to love his children properly, and made the mistake of letting them realize it.

It was no wonder that Thor would do all it took to make that man proud, even if he thought a war was the way to go about it.

But just because Loki and Elysia knew all of this didn't mean they would ever let it cross their lips. A truly blasphemous thing for a child to say in regards to their father. But Loki and Elysia were not holy people and the words lingered on the edge of their tongues, desperate to feel the damage they could cause.

Her voice itched to rip her father apart with the same words he used against them so many times before, and see if his soul bled in response.

Ever since she touched the tesseract there was a small portion of her that wanted to savagely tear into something and taste the blood coating her teeth. Elysia shunned it, much like she did now with this new urge.

Because if it was said out loud, if they acknowledged it even to each other, they could never take it back and it would have been set in stone. And such a thing would only serve to break Frigga and Thor's hearts, which is the last thing either of them wanted.

The prince and princess of Asgard took a deep breath in and when they exhaled, they shoved the bitter knowledge out to be consumed by the silence. Turning, they followed the path their brother had taken, leaving behind frozen bodies and acidic secrets.

Infinity stones should have come with a warning. Because anything that ancient must have had the time to accumulate quite a storage of rage. Maybe power had nothing to do with the reason people couldn't survive an encounter with them. Maybe it was the all-consuming wrath that drowned them and broke every molecule of theirs apart.

Elysia didn't like housing such a dark thing, but her feelings didn't stop the call for retribution that resonated within her.

* * *

Standing behind a pillar they watched as Thor cried in outrage and flipped a table in the banquet hall. Heavily breathing, their brother made his way to sit on the stairs with a clenched jaw and tightly wound fists.

Loki, being the braver of the two, slunk out from around the pillar and approached him cautiously. Thor had been upset before, but this was to a whole new degree.

Thor spared him a brief glance before turning his eyes back to the marble beneath his feet, "It's unwise for you two to be in my company right now." The last thing Thor wanted was to take his anger out of his younger siblings when they had done nothing to deserve it.

Elysia could practically taste the hidden sadness in his soul and her heart moved her to kneel down behind Thor and wrap her arms around his neck, gently resting her cheek beside his. Even though he was upset, he still reached up and cradled the back of her head with his large palm. She was filled with warmth at the gesture and nuzzled in closer.

Loki sat beside his brother and nudged his shoulder with his own. Feeling the comfort of both his siblings, Thor began to rant despite his previous warning for them to leave him alone. "This was to be my day of triumph."

Loki looked at Thor, searching his face trying to think of something to lift his spirits, "It'll come, in time." It's not much, but he hoped it let Thor know he's here for him. He made to reach out and lay a hand on Thor's shoulder when the entry doors swung open, causing Loki to swiftly snatch his hand back to himself.

Sif walked in first, and the bane of Elysia's existence trailed in after her.

The Warriors Three looked around the room, not expecting to see an overturned table and food scattered across the floor. Turning, they saw their princess draped across their friend's upper body, her piercing eyes trailing up and down their bodies before she casually dismissed them and seemed to mold herself closer to Thor.

Volstagg could no longer stand the curiosity, "What's this?" Thor was by far the loudest of them, always making his displeasure well known, but to see him sitting so quietly when he was clearly upset was not a normal sight to walk in on.

None of the siblings responded verbally. Elysia's grip on Thor tightened subconsciously, because the Warriors Three always had a way of stealing him right out from under her. Her hands found a home in her brother's bright golden locks, trying her hardest to make it impossible for him to get up and walk away from her and Loki.

Thor slumped a little at the contact.

She didn't care if it was selfish, Loki and Thor were hers. She would share them only with their parents and soulmates, no one else.

Loki, realizing that he didn't have as much time to discuss this as he thought, leaned in closer and begun whispering quickly. "If it's any consolation, I think you're right. About the Frost Giants, about Laufey, about everything."

Sif glanced at the siblings in contemplation, wondering why her soulmate looked so tense and why whatever they were talking about was so important that they could not speak in normal tones.

Ignoring the other occupants in the room Loki continued, "If they found a way to penetrate Asgard's defenses once who's to say they won't try again? Next time with an army."

Vindication raced through Thor's veins as his brother spoke, "Exactly!" Why was it that their father could not understand the same thing? All Thor wanted to do was ensure the safety of his family and his people, what was so wrong with that?

Sitting back an inch, Loki shook his head minutely, "There's nothing you can do without defying father." There was sympathy in his eyes and he slowly reminded Thor about his biggest hurdle. The immovable mountain that would always stop him in his tracks.

But all his words did was serve to light the spark of determination and recklessness that resided in Thor at all times and Loki's face dropped as he realized what his words had actually done. He meant to cheer his brother up, not encourage another one of his insane ideas.

"No, no, no. I know that look."

Carefully extracting himself from Elysia's grip, Thor stood and pointed at Loki, abandoning whispers for his usual booming pitch. "It's the only way to ensure the safety of our boarders." He was ignorant to the way that his sister's hands clenched in his direction, her fingers itching to pull him back towards them.

"Thor, it's madness" Loki couldn't stress it enough. There were so many ways for this to go wrong and only a handful of ones where they would be victorious. He wasn't sure that the odds made any of it worth it. Without the backing of Asgard's army there wasn't much any of them could do.

They had just successfully gained the full attention of the other four Asgardians in the room. Volstagg was the first to speak up yet again, "Madness? What sort of madness?"

Elysia growled under her breath, still keyed up from earlier. Her ire waited, festering inside of her, and there was nowhere for it to go. So it sat in the pit of her stomach, waiting and searching for a victim to unleash itself upon. And as much as she didn't want to, Thor's friends were quickly on their way to becoming a target.

This was a family discussion, and Elysia felt that nobody besides the three of them had any place to speak or pry into their private conversation.

"We're going to Jotunheim."

Her breathing faltered and her eyes fell shut on their own account.

Behind her eyelids a world gone white exploded, a place where fear and death lived, where the sun seemed to abandon its post in the sky. Her fingers trembled at the memory of her Papa's body on the ground, a stark contrast to the vast nothingness surrounding him.

A sharp stabbing pain was sent shooting through her palm from the indentations her fingernails were making. How could Thor so casually make that decision knowing what it would mean to her?

Elysia was not the only one shocked by Thor's statement and Fandral scoffed like he couldn't believe what had just come out of his dear friend's mouth. "What? This isn't like a journey to Earth where you summon a little lightning and thunder, and the mortals worship you like a god. This is Jotunheim."

For once in centuries Elysia found herself agreeing with Fandral. Thor had no idea what he was up against.

Words proved useless because Thor swatted them away with nothing more than the shake of his head, "My father fought his way into Jotunheim, defeated their armies and took their Casket. We would just be looking for answers."

Pinching the bridge of his nose Loki bowed his head and prayed to the Allfathers. Prayed that they give him the strength to deal with his brother. Thor was not Odin, no matter how much he tried to imitate him, he simply wasn't. Yes, their father had indeed marched into Jotunheim and left with a victory, but he paid a heavy price for it.

A price that they were reminded of every time they looked at his face or thought about the reason Elysia was their sister in the first place.

His brother had either forgotten or failed to realize the enormity of those sacrifices.

"It is forbidden!" Sif loved Thor, he was the other half of her soul and she liked to think she was one of the people who knew him best, but sometimes he astounded her with his choices and reasoning. He was talking about going against their king and Allfather, and regardless of the fact that Thor was his son, Sif couldn't imagine him getting out of trouble this time.

Thor smiled wide and chuckled, his arms opening wide as he walked towards his friends and soulmate, once again turning his back to his siblings. Elysia felt like he was slipping away from them with every step he took. "My friends, have you forgotten all that we've done together?"

He understood their hesitation, for this was something on a much bigger scale then they had ever done before. But they were the best warriors Asgard had, and Thor had the upmost faith that if anyone could travel to Jotunheim it would be them. All he had to do now was convince them of what he already knew. "Fandral, Hogun. Who led you into the most glorious of battles?"

A rare smile crossed Hogun's face as he nodded his head reluctantly, "You did."

Pleased that he had made his point, Thor moved onto Volstagg who was in the middle of putting together some sort of sandwich, "And Volstagg, to delicacies so succulent, you'd thought you died and gone to Valhalla?"

Elysia couldn't resist the urge to roll her eyes as the red headed man chuckled as he was remembering what was no doubt more food, "You did."

Laughing joyfully, Thor patted him on the shoulder, "Yes!"

Elysia could see Thor's praise twisting and changing their viewpoints. Men were so easily led, all it took was a little bit of stroking their pride and suddenly they were ready to throw themselves into death's clutches just to prove they were fearless. As much as she wished it wasn't true, her brother was not exempt from that.

Moving to eye his soulmate tenderly, Thor took note of the unimpressed look on Sif's face. There was no need for him to convince her, already knowing that she would follow him to the ends of the universe, as he would do for her. Still, he wanted to stress his point further, "And who proved wrong all those who scoffed at the idea that a young maiden could be one of the fiercest warriors this realm has ever known?"

"I did."

"She did."

Thor briefly paused before conceding to Sif and Elysia's claim. He really should have seen that one coming. Pointing at her with a fond smile Thor admitted it, "True. But I supported you, Sif." He let his gaze linger on her for a little longer before addressing the whole lot of them, "My friends, we're going to Jotunheim."

Elysia went to stand, dead set in her mission to shake some sense back into her brother when Fandral piped up. "Um, are you sure it's wise to bring the ladies along?" Seeing both Loki and Thor tense back up had him rushing to explain, "I mean, Jotunheim is far more dangerous than anything we've ever done before and we wouldn't want them to get hurt."

Elysia's hard gaze swung to the man as Sif let out an exasperated scoff. Her displeasure with her brother was momentarily placed to the side as her focus shifted to one of the only three people she really couldn't stand.

Thor didn't move from his position nor did he immediately rise to Elysia's defense, which should have been a warning to the rest of them. Had they noticed Loki's smirk however, then perhaps Fandral would have taken more care to try getting out of the hole he had just dug himself into. There was nobody who could ever offer the slightest of offenses to Elysia without the two of them right there, ready to crush bones in her honor. But both boys knew that there were some things that their sister liked to address herself, one of them being her capability to handle herself.

Frigga had been a very powerful warrior and was an even stronger magic bearer. It stood to reason that her daughter would not be anything less than magnificent.

Elysia appreciated the fact that her brothers had not directly came to her aid. She knew that Fandral had not meant any harm, he was just sharing his opinion. It was just unfortunate that he couldn't see how offensive it was to her and Sif.

Making her way to lean against the upturned table Elysia caught Fandral's eyes and held them, gauging whether or not he would be the type to look away. "If you think that I cannot do this because I am royalty and have therefore been sheltered, then I will accept it without complaint and simply prove you wrong." She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. If that had been his reasoning then she didn't think she could have been genuinely upset with him. Elysia looked a bit soft to be a warrior, it was not news to her.

She also knew that her upbringing was not the theme behind his reasoning because he had lumped Sif in the same category, and they had not been raised in the same manner. And that had been his mistake.

Sif was the Goddess of War, a title well earned.

Every time Elysia fought she did it for her soulmate, the need to know that she would be strong enough to take care of him motivating her to push past previously set limits. For Fandral to doubt her strength was an insult to her ability to protect her younger soulmate.

Her eyes narrowed, "But if you are implying that we cannot do this because we are women, then I will wage a war that will leave you trembling." Elysia's voice grew firmer and it seemed to echo in the large banquet hall. "And I will rise from among a carnage unlike you've ever seen and ask you if you think a man's war is somehow more beautiful than a woman's war."

Elysia straightened up and began walking towards Thor's friend, "Did no one tell you that our fires burn brighter? That our sword cuts deeper?" Fandral's wide eyes had not left her form, even as he unconsciously shifted backwards, almost bumping into Hogun. But Elysia was not done, "Do you not think our pale skin looks more enthralling with the deep red of our enemies splattered across it? Do our hands still feel soft knowing that they have snapped necks?"

She ran the pads of her fingertips across her throat gently, barely allowing them the slightest of pressure. For a brief moment Elysia wondered if she was taking this too far, but she couldn't honestly say she cared. She was tired and upset her brother had made such a huge decision without consulting her, and there was still that age-old anger that didn't belong to her blazing within.

"Don't worry about us because Sif and I know the answers to all of those questions" Elysia stopped right in front of Fandral, tilting her head slightly to the side. "Would you like to find out how?"

A shiver ran up Fandral's spine and he couldn't tell if it was good or bad. What he did know was that the docile princess had never looked so fierce, and he had never been more afraid of a woman other than his own mother before.

There was no hiding the large smile that overtook Thor's face. He was all for women warriors, thought that they were amazing. He had always admired that Sif could hold her own among them, and on a great many occasions even beat them. Seeing that same fire in his little sister made him proud. She may not have been the biggest advocate for violence, but she certainly knew how to put someone in their place when the time arose.

Loki simply reached out and gently dragged Elysia back to the step he had been resting on. He drew her in between his legs and let her lay her back against his chest. He had gotten his show and was now content to sit here and bask in the peace that his sister brought him. He waved his hand in Thor's direction, telling him to carry on, knowing by now that nothing he said would change his mind.

Everyone besides Thor and Sif watched the two of them in mild awe. They had seen the way that Elysia had practically melted into Loki's arms and any trace of that righteous fire was wiped away. The people of Asgard knew the three siblings had a bond unlike any other, but to feel the outright contentment that flooded the room when all three were together was another matter entirely.

Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun had never spent much time around the princess, or even Loki, getting the feeling that based on the downcast looks they would shoot Thor that they were not all too pleased with the boys' presence in their brother's life.

At times it was frustrating because that look had never been directed towards Sif before, just the three young men. To Fandral's knowledge he had never done anything before to warrant such a look, neither had the other two, although after today he might not be able to say the same. Before he could stumble his way to an apology, Volstagg quickly interjected not wanting any more toes to get stepped on.

"I think what this idiot meant to say was that we think you and the lovely Lady Sif would be wonderful companions to take such a journey with, and we are honored to have such great warriors accompany us in the heart of battle."

Sif chuckled, knowing by now that Elysia was over it. She had said her piece and harbored no residual grudge. Volstagg's apology was unneeded but Sif enjoyed that way Fandral's cheeks heated in embarrassment at his friend's words.

Thor looked over at his siblings and a part of him longed to sit alongside them. How long had it been since the three of them laid down in the grass surrounded by nothing besides each other and the secrets of the night sky? Often times Elysia needed to be touching them, to remind herself that they were still there, and the two boys had grown accustomed to it, had come to expect it by now. It got to the point where it started to feel unnatural if they went too long without Elysia clinging onto one of them.

His fingers twitched in their direction, but it wasn't like he could very well walk over and lay his head down in Elysia's lap while they were making plans to sneak out to Jotunheim.

Sif simply turned her soft gaze to the three of them, already knowing by now how the siblings functioned. She had certainly spent enough time around them, something that many did not get the privilege to do, and she knew that both Thor and Loki turned into mush when Elysia was involved. And if she was being honest, so did she. That girl just had a way of making people want to bundle her in their arms away from all possible danger.

Elysia and Loki were the only ones she could talk to about Thor, they were a safe harbor for her to vent to. They always did their best to assuage her fears and ensure her that one day their brother would see the light and realize that his feelings for her were not merely platonic.

Sif would always be grateful to them for that.

* * *

Elysia had been suspiciously quiet while Thor and the others finalized their plan, instead opting to sit and let the wind run through her hair, caressing her face with a warm familiarity. Her frustration had not ceased, but she was determined to speak with Thor about it privately. It wouldn't be a conversation for anyone other than them.

When the others went to go retrieve the horses Elysia nudged Loki in Sif's direction with a soft "Go", knowing this would be her time she was waiting for. She ignored the worried look he shot her and waited until she could no longer hear their footsteps before rounding to face Thor.

"You are unbelievable, you know that?" Her voice so quiet that it barely reached Thor. But the heaviness it carried could not be denied. "You expect me to waltz into the place where my Papa was killed like it won't rip my heart out?"

"Elysia-"

"No." She held a hand out in front of her to halt him mid speech, "You are asking me to face his murderer and watch as you make conversation with him as I what? Stand off to the side and pretend like I don't want to take my sword and lodge it into his spine like he did to my Papa? Is that what you would have me do brother?" The words tasted like ash and they burned her tongue as they flowed out of her mouth, encasing her in an ocean of buried anger and deep regret.

Gunnar had given his life to end that war so she could live her life in peace. She would not insult his memory by creating another one.

Thor was ashamed to say that he had indeed forgotten what their parents had shown her years ago. He hadn't stopped to think about the difficulty he was asking of her. Instead of saying any of this, Thor reacted by going on the defensive. "Elysia you don't have to come. I just wanted to give you the option because Loki is and I know how you worry."

Elysia didn't even want to get into that, and threw her hands up in exasperation. "It bad enough that you want to go, and now you have to drag him along with you?" Loki was so blinded by the prospect of going on one of their fabled adventures that he was willing to follow Thor to the very depths of damnation. For the sheer sake of her sanity Elysia had to move on from that point. "You are aiming to wage a war, against a people that our father had created a peace treaty with when mere hours ago you were swearing an oath to preserve the peace. Was that nothing more than a lie?"

Narrowing his eyes, Thor couldn't believe that Elysia would doubt his intentions like that. "They committed an act of war sister! Are we supposed to ignore that and simply hope they don't try again?"

Slowly the two of them had been moving closer until they stood toe to toe with one another. "And what is worse Thor? Committing an act of war or starting one? Because right now it feels like if you do this, then we are the ones who're guilty."

His nostrils flared and his breath had a hard time escaping past his clenched jaw. They cut him like knives, reached out and wrapped themselves around his neck in a tight embrace. His sister, his sweet sister, knew exactly where to prod. Knew every weak spot he possessed, and was unafraid to tear into them one by one.

His cutting reply could not get around the lump in his throat, and in the end he was forced to swallow it down. "This is happening whether you approve of it or not Elysia. But I won't deny that I want you by my side when it does." He tried to walk away from her but Elysia was never one to allow someone to turn their back on her.

"How do you think father would feel if he could hear you now?"

It sparked a bitterness in the air that was inescapable. Not once had they ever gone behind the others' back, not once in over a thousand years had they ever stood on opposite sides. But then again, Thor had never been so _stupid_ before.

Elysia was not about to let him walk away without answering. Even though she had a feeling that she knew what it would be, she still wanted to hear it from his mouth. Ached to see how far she could push him before he snapped, to see if their bond was strong enough that he wouldn't.

Not bothering to look at her, Thor waved her concerns off. She did this every time, always taking the safe route and never just jumping into something regardless of the danger it may have presented. It was like his sister ran from anything that would allow the thrill of adrenaline to course through her. She would never truly live if she was so cautious all the time. "I imagine he wouldn't be too pleased, as always. But he can't hear me and he doesn't need to know."

Elysia could not believe that Thor just wanted her to ignore the fact that he was talking about traveling to Jotunheim without permission from their father. Peace treaties were not things to be trifled with. "The last time you told me father didn't need to know something an innocent woman lost her life when she got too close to me, or have you forgotten that day and the repercussions that followed? Sometimes doing things on our own does not yield the best results."

The air was sucked out of the room as the hurt and the fear and every other miserable emotion that was associated with that day came rushing back. They never talked about it but it clung to them like a shadow.

The way that Elysia couldn't stand the dark for fear that she would once again be lost to the emptiness of her own mind, unable to escape.

The way a small room could throw her breathing off and kick start her heart because all she could feel was the remnants of a table beneath her, and the press of an unyielding barrier on the tips of her fingers.

How there was a hole inside her, a longing to hold onto her brothers because she remembered a time when she hadn't been able to, when the simplest of human contact had been denied to her.

Perhaps it was low of her to bring up past mistakes, but she did not know what else to say to get him to stop and think about what he was about to do. Thor had always been more inclined towards action first, but if he made one wrong move Asgard's entire future could be placed in jeopardy. There was no way Elysia could let it go with a clear conscious.

Finally spinning around, Thor grasped ahold of Elysia's upper arms lightly. That had been one of the worst days of his life, and contrary to popular belief, he had actually learned something from it. "Sister I swear to you on my life that no harm shall come to you. I was a foolish child then, unable to protect you, but not now. You and Loki will always be my first priority, trust that." Regardless of how wary she felt about this plan, he had to know that she understood there was nothing he would not do for them.

He would battle all of Jotunheim single-handedly, paint their world bright red, before he allowed a single scratch to be placed upon their skin.

Elysia could see the honesty pouring out of him and sighed, feeling her resolve weaken in the face of those stupidly bright blue eyes. Slowly the hold that tether had on her loosened and any trace of a red haze vanished.

She was a fool to try a convince herself that she wouldn't gravitate to her place at his side. There was no other option, there never was. "Make no mistake, I am coming along purely to make sure that this whole thing doesn't get you all killed." She loathed to think about how much trouble they would be in once Odin found out.

And he would, because Odin _always_ found out.

She had a sneaking suspicion that Heimdall had something to do with that.

* * *

AN: Wanted to clarify something here. Elysia doesn't like violence, and the anger that she feels here isn't her own, it's a product of the infinity stone. Sometimes she'll feel it and it'll come to life in her, but it never originates from her personally. Also this chapter touches on Odin's terrible parenting skills because I wanted to show the damage that it causes.

 _SunnySides_ : Yeah Bucky totally knows about the objective to bring Elysia in once he finds her. But in this story I kind of set it up in a way where he's fully aware and okay with it. At this point having his soulmate is the only thing that he truly wants, even when he forgets what it's like to want things, and it helps him get through some of the stuff he has to deal with.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Good news is that I've finally decided when they're going to meet. It was difficult because I had to factor in their individual storylines so that it would be realistic. I don't want it to be like one of those stories where out of nowhere it happens and you feel like you blinked and suddenly they were together. So I had a couple of my friends, who help with pre reading, look the storyline over to see if they agreed with it.

* * *

 **Chapter 10: What's The Worst That Could Happen?**

Once the horses had been procured, they had begun riding out towards the Bifrost. The whole time Elysia was betting that not a single one of them had thought of what they were going to tell Heimdall. She wanted to laugh at them for thinking it would be so easy to slip past him. One thing was for certain, she wouldn't participate in whatever elaborate lie they would try to spin.

Heimdall had watched her grow up and she considered the man very dear to her heart. He was someone who had given her advice during the times when she simply sat on the Rainbow Bridge to watch her rose tinted soul trail shoot off in the distance. Heimdall always spared her a kind smile whenever they saw each other and Elysia refused to lie to the man.

Not only did she respect him far too much, but she knew that it was impossible to lie to the man who could see all.

He was standing by his post when they rode up, silent and stone faced as usual. Getting off her horse she turned and looked up at Thor, silently telling him that he was on his own here. Before her eldest brother could concoct some strange story as to why there were there, Loki breezed past them with confidence and a simple command, "You leave this to me." Approaching the older man, Loki tried to charm his way past, "Good Heimdall-"

"You're not dressed warmly enough."

A soft laugh rang out among them and all turned to see Elysia's wide smile as she gazed at Heimdall fondly. Stepping past her brothers, she stood in front of the all-seeing Asgardian and watched gleefully as he sent a small smile down to her.

Elysia turned her head to explain to her taken aback brothers, "From the moment you decided to take this journey dear brother, Heimdall has known. There is nothing that could be hidden from him. If he didn't approve I'm sure father would have already been here waiting to catch us in the act." Turning back to her friend, Elysia took note of the hint of approval she saw there. She surged with happiness at the sight of it.

In more recent years, with every increasing bad qualities she noticed within her father, sometimes only the sight of the stars could calm her troubled mind. At times she felt she was being ungrateful to the father who had taken her in and done so much for her, but other times she couldn't help but feel as though he hadn't done enough.

It was a strange cycle that always ended with her seeking after the one person she wanted most, but couldn't quite reach.

It was actually Heimdall who had encouraged her to wait until Thor's celebration to ask both him and Loki to travel with her in her quest to find her soulmate. Elysia always knew that one day their paths would cross, but she hadn't thought about leaving home to specifically search him out. It certainly made much more sense, she could easily find him with her soul trail and she had waited long enough for him to be of a mature age.

Elysia often wondered if he lived in the nine realms her father protected, or if he was somewhere further. She wondered if he was a warrior or not. A large part of her wished he wasn't, she didn't mind protecting him. After all is was a war that took her Papa from her Mama, and the pain of it all caused her loss as well.

In Elysia's experience nothing good ever came from being a warrior, just a lot of heartbreak and death.

She wondered all these things and it was because of Heimdall's suggestion that she would know the answers sooner than expected.

But then the Frost Giants came and Thor had them all traveling to Joutnheim. She could feel the words on her wrist tugging at her, begging her to come find their owner. And she longed to, everything in Elysia cried out in despair every moment her mate was not in her arms, but right now her brothers needed her here with them.

She never had been one to abandon her family in times of need. Even if it meant doing something monumentally stupid Elysia would be found standing at their sides, because that's what it meant to be family. You were there for their best and their worst moments.

Thor was getting antsy, knowing that the longer they delayed the bigger chance there was of their father finding out. He very much wanted to keep this journey a well-kept secret for the moment. Breaking the moment of silent communication his sister and friend were having Thor spoke up, "Heimdall, may we pass?"

Everything hinged on Heimdall's answer. Thor wanted to prove himself, prove to his father that he could do what was necessary to protect their people. He would put a stop to whatever kind of rebellion the Frost Giants were thinking of creating, he would fight for the peace his father gave so much for.

Thor would fight because he had people he needed to protect, even if they couldn't see it for themselves.

And one word from Heimdall could bring that all crashing down around him.

Heimdall stared at the prince as though he could see the reasoning inside his heart. This man had watched these kids grow up and was considered a friend to the royal family. But he had also been cursed with seeing a lifetime's worth of pain and destruction. He had seen the devastation that the Great War had caused and had no desire to see such a thing again.

The fires that spread far and wide, the sounds of children crying out for their parents, and the dying gasps of strong warriors who would never get to return home. Heimdall had seen it all, even on quiet days they replayed in his mind over and over again.

He would not watch such a thing occur again, not if he could help it.

"Never has an enemy slipped my watch until this day. I wish to know how that happened." The deep tenor of his voice was dipped heavily in subtle guilt and Elysia hated it.

It wasn't Heimdall's fault that the Frost Giants had somehow breached their home, not even her father the Allfather, had known until they were inside the vault. "Whatever magic they used doesn't fall on your shoulders. They are simply evolving, something that we all knew would happen one day." She sent him a bittersweet smile, knowing that no matter what she said the guilt wouldn't completely leave him. "We'll find the answer you seek my friend, I swear."

It was only until he sent her a nod that she took it as permission and begun to walk around him to the Bifrost. The others followed behind her, keeping their mouths shut lest they say something to make Heimdall change his mind.

Thor took the lead among them and Elysia opted to stand beside Loki, still not completely okay with what was about to take place. She watched as the dome around them spun when Heimdall used his sword to activate the Bifrost. It was beautiful, and had it not been for the grim anticipation she might have taken a moment to marvel at it.

"Be warned" Heimdall cautioned them, "I will honor my sworn oath to protect to protect this realm as its Gatekeeper. If your return threatens the safety of Asgard, the Bifrost will remain closed to you and you'll be left to die in the cold waste of Jotunheim."

Finally a look of apprehension crossed the others' faces, as if they were just now realizing the true dangers of what they were about to do. Instead of fear Elysia felt a great amount of thankfulness for her dear friend. To know that he wouldn't put their people at risk was comforting. She wouldn't have it any other way. If something were to go wrong and they got stuck in Jotunheim, Elysia had no doubt that she could protect them, she'd do anything it took to make it safe for them to return home.

Thor smiled, trying to soothe the second thoughts he could tell everyone was now having. But even he had to admit that the prospect of being stranded on Jotunheim, just the seven of them, was daunting. Nevertheless he couldn't help but make one last comment, "I have no plans to die today."

"None ever do."

With those parting words Heimdall pushed the sword in and the Bifrost sucked them all in.

* * *

Once they landed on Jotunheim, it took a moment for Elysia to find her bearings. Once the dizziness faded and she was able to take a proper look around, it was hard to force the images of her Papa from her mind.

Jotunheim was dark, it seemed appropriate that such a place have no sunlight to be found. But it wasn't the cold wind that swept through her or the vast icy fixtures that bothered Elysia so much. It was the quiet. The way she could hear her own heartbeat was what unnerved her.

Hogun spoke up, saying what each of them were thinking, "We shouldn't be here."

But Thor was determined to see this through, to follow in his father's footsteps, and continued forward. "Let's move."

And so they walked, and walked, through the land that seemed abandoned. But they all knew that looks could be deceiving so they remained vigilant to their surroundings. The whole thing seemed surreal. The only images they had, besides Elysia, of Jotunheim came from the lessons they attended as children. And now here they were, standing on its ground and gazing upon the location of the last Great War with their own eyes.

Thor stuck beside Sif, not being able to ignore the need to ensure her safety. Not once did either of them move out of the other's eyesight. Elysia and Loki, like always could be found standing together, neither one ever straying. The whole trip was messing with Elysia's head, feeling like she was walking in her Papa's footsteps was strange.

Eventually the seven of them made their way towards what they assumed was Jotunheim's version of a castle, but to Elysia it looked the exact same as the rest of the terrain, cold and empty.

Coming to a stop, Sif looked around but found no one. "Where are they?" It was quite unusual for them to have made it all this way without seeing a single Frost Giant.

"Hiding, as cowards always do" Thor scoffed out.

A deep voice spoke suddenly, "You've come a long way to die, Asgardians." It was so sudden that it caught them all off guard. It was slightly unsettling to know that they were being watched and they hadn't even known.

"I am Thor Odinson." Thor announced it loudly, still unsure as to where the voice had come from.

"We know who you are."

Elysia didn't like the sound of that, and she exchanged glances with Loki to find that he too had a worried glint in his eyes. So far this was not how she imagined this going.

Growing tired of whatever game the Frost Giants were playing, Thor's thin patience ran dry. "How did your people get into Asgard?"

Looking up, Elysia was finally able to see that the voice had been coming from Laufey, who sat upon a barren throne. Calling it a throne was being generous, the thing looked like a large rock had been molded into a seat. His red eyes pierced right through them, the exact same shade she remembered when she watched him stab her Papa through the abdomen.

Her hands tightened into fists at the sight of him.

"The house of Odin is full of traitors."

That was the last thing that Thor wanted to hear. "Do not dishonor my father's name with your lies!" Although they had their differences, Thor wouldn't stand for anyone disrespecting or slandering his father or any other member of his family.

Laufey's face twisted and anger propelled him from his seat, "Your father is a murderer and a thief."

Elysia's breathing became labored and her building frustration burned in her veins brightly. How dare the man who killed her Papa call her adopted father a murderer? He had no right to call Odin that when he was the exact same.

Laufey murdered Gunnar and her stole Asta's soulmate and Elysia's Papa from them. If anyone was a murderer and a thief it was the large Frost Giant in front of her.

Her fingernails bit into the skin of her palms and her vision shifted. Once more she was faced with the mixing colors that sprouted from each of them, the transition becoming smoother every time it occurred. Elysia knew that every being in the universe had a soul, but to her it didn't seem possible that the Frost Giants were anything other than soulless creatures.

So when she saw that tell-tale colorful line sprouting from the center of Laufey's chest, she felt like screaming in outrage. It seemed like everyone got to have their soulmates except for her. The disturbed curiosity she felt got the best of her and moved her to follow the line with her eyes until they fell on one of the warriors encircling their group.

Elysia had the sudden urge to laugh at the pure irony of the situation.

The Frost King's soulmate was in fact not his Queen, but one of his warriors. And she highly doubted that his people knew that little fact.

A small part of her hated how easily all the ways she could use that information as manipulation came to her, but a larger part was just fine with it if it ensured that the seven of them made it home in one piece.

Laufey stood, his large body dwarfing all of them. "And why have you come here? To make peace?" His mocking tone was grating on Elysia's nerves. "You long for battle, you crave it. You're nothing but a boy trying to prove himself a man."

It was almost as if he knew exactly what buttons to push on the young prince, because instantly Thor took a step forward. "Well this _boy_ has grown tired of your mockery." The Frost Giants around them armed themselves as large shards of ice formed in their hands, prepared to strike at the vague threat.

Loki quickly leaned in towards his brother, and whispered "Thor, stop and think. Look around you, we're outnumbered." This whole plan had seemed a lot better in the banquet hall of Asgard. But now as they stood here, with Frost Giants to every side of them, on foreign ground, the whole idea of them demanding anything seemed a bit absurd.

Briefly turning his head, Thor quietly acknowledged him, "Know your place brother."

The sharp sting of his words was like a slap in the face to Loki. All his life his aim, his goal, was always to stand at Thor's side. That the three of them would be equals, despite their father's best attempts at sabotaging that. He couldn't help but wonder if that would ever come to be, or if Elysia and he were always destined to stare at the back of their eldest brother, never quite being able to reach him.

Elysia tried to hide the golden flare in her eyes as she glared at the back of Thor's head. Sometimes her eldest brother could be the stupidest person she had ever known. He let words fall from his mouth without taking a second to think about their potential consequences. Taking one look at the sudden downcast look that graced Loki's face, Elysia knew that she would once again have to play the middleman and convince him that Thor hadn't meant what he said.

"You know not what your actions would unleash, but I do." Laufey looked down like he was staring the past in its face and didn't like what he saw.

Remembering her promise to Heimdall to find out how they got to Asgard, Elysia spoke up for the first time. She wanted to leave, and the sooner they had the answers they came to get, the faster they could walk away before anything happened. "I believe my brother asked you a question."

Her steely gaze was met head on with blood red eyes as the King looked her over. "Ah, and that must make you Asgard's gem."

Elysia underestimated the amount of hatred she could feel for this creature. This _thing_ that destroyed her family before she was even born. All those lonely nights she spent looking at the stars, all the times she longed for her Mama to sing her a lullaby or for her Papa to teach her how to ride a horse. All of it, all of the things she would never have, were due to him.

She wanted to watch him suffer for it.

Throwing caution into the wind, Elysia never broke eye contact as she slowly walked towards the large King. The Frost Giants around her immediately made to block her way, but Laufey waved them off, intrigued by what the small goddess wanted.

Both Thor and Loki reached out to grab ahold of her and pull her back, but Sif and Volstagg each held them back, knowing that the slightest thing could set off the whole situation. The boys may have known that Elysia could handle herself, but there was something so fundamentally wrong about watching their little sister walk towards their enemy without them by her side. Every one of their muscles were tensed, ready to spring in her direction at the smallest hint of her discomfort.

Laufey didn't know why he allowed this child to approach him. He supposed it might have been that she was the only one of them who had looked him in the eye without a single hint of fear. There was no rashness in her movements, and she hadn't spoken out of turn. Or perhaps it was simply that he wanted to see what Odin's precious little girl was doing deep in his realm. What did the daughter of his enemy want from him?

When she stood in front of Laufey, she didn't let his size intimidate her. Instead she spoke lowly, wanting to ensure that no one else could hear them. "You killed my father."

He was awarded his answer with her statement. So the little princess was here for closure. It couldn't have been revenge, she wasn't carrying any weapons on her. He found himself somewhat disappointed. So far Odin's daughter wasn't exactly making a lasting impression, his son sure had a mouth on him, but the girl seemed vastly different. Perhaps the mighty Allfather was losing his touch. "I've killed many fathers."

Elysia sucked in a sharp breath at his response. The casualty of his tone only served to further her anger, the way he thought so little of the lives he had ruined, of the pain he had caused. Gunnar's words to Asta was the only thing that kept her from doing something monumentally stupid.

 _My love I must fight so that she does not have to._

She would do her best to honor that wish, his wish that she not know war. Even if it meant that she never got the revenge that was rightly hers to take, she would try to fulfill that wish. Instead Elysia continued to keep her face blank, "I want to kill you, but I won't. Because killing you would start a war that my father gave his life to end. You're not worth the guilt that would bring me."

It was hard to force that particular lump down her throat.

Elysia didn't give him a chance to answer before she continued to the true purpose of her conversation, "However there is no law that states the death of a concubine is grounds to wage war. The death of a Queen, yes. But a mere warrior? No."

She knew by the widening of his eyes that Laufey knew exactly what she was talking about. He had been careless, allowing his soulmate to be in close proximity with his enemies. It was not a mistake Elysia would ever make, in fact she couldn't understand how he didn't keep his soulmate near him.

Her soulmate would be safe and protected at all times, and any that tried to touch him would suffer greatly. She would wrap him in her arms and provide him with anything he desired.

Maybe the panic in his eyes shouldn't have pleased her so much, but it did. Panic soon gave way to rage and Elysia was pleased that Laufey finally understood what she felt whenever she heard his name or thought about him.

Laufey couldn't resist the urge to check on his soulmate, his eyes darting over to a warrior that he could pick out anywhere. His fingers tightened against his leg, not understanding how the child in front of him knew. He had gone through great pains to keep his soulmate hidden from his enemies, even going as far as taking a wife to throw them off. He sneered at her, "You're nothing more than a little girl making desperate threats."

A light laugh escaped her lips. When were people going to stop underestimating her because she was a female? "Odin may not be my father, but he is the man who raised me. And if you think for a moment that I know nothing of his cruelty or how to imitate it, then by all means be my guest, try to measure my mercy. I'm sure you'll find I'm very short on it at the time being."

She leaned in closer and her voice grew deathly silent, her entire demeanor became colder than the ice that surrounded them, "If you set foot in my home, lay hands on my family, or go after my people, I will personally drain the life out of your soulmate right in front of your eyes till there's not even a body left for you to bury."

There was a moment of silence where a battle of wills was being held, unbeknownst to the rest of the occupants in the room. Laufey was searching her eyes, trying to find a hint of anything that would tell him that she was bluffing. Elysia knew he wouldn't find it.

"Go now, while I still allow it."

Laufey's voice rang out, his eyes never leaving Asgard's princess. Elysia knew he was trying to save face, not allowing his people to find out how rattled he actually was.

Satisfied, Elysia turned around and made her way back to her brothers, who as soon as she was in arms reach, pulled her behind them. All of them wanted to know what it was that she said to the Frost Giant King that ended with their allowance to leave, but now was not the time to find out.

Loki didn't care how they left, only that they did so immediately. "We will accept your most gracious offer." Turning, he steered Elysia in front of him and motioned with his head to Sif and the Warriors Three. The only one who didn't move was Thor and Loki prayed that for once in his life his brother would push his ego aside and walk away from a fight.

It took a pleading look from both his siblings and his soulmate before Thor even entertained the thought of walking away. And even though he would rather be doing literally anything else, Thor turned and shuffled towards the hand his sister extended to him.

Their father would have never backed down from a fight, and he didn't think he should have to either, but even Thor had to admit to himself that disappointing this group of people would devastate him.

"Run back home, little princess."

Every single Asgardian froze mid step, and they all knew it wasn't Elysia the Frost Giant had just addressed.

Loki's eyes fell shut and spoke for everyone when he said, "Damn."

A smirk fell into place on Thor's face. Finally, a reason to let loose. He let Mjolnir slip down his wrist until he had a firm grip on the handle, before swiftly turning around and catching the Frost Giant underneath the chin with the hammer. Everyone watched with bated breath as he went sailing into the side of Laufey's throne.

Making eye contact with the Jotun King, Thor issued his challenge. "Next?" He didn't wait for a response as he went after the closest Frost Giant, setting off everyone around him.

The castle of Jotunheim was thrown into chaos as fighting broke out everywhere. Laufey watched the spectacle with nervous eyes, making sure that Elysia was in his sights at all time. He didn't know what she was thinking, but with her threat still on the forefront of his mind, he would not be calm until she was far away from his realm and soulmate.

Elysia pulled out her sword, determined to put off using her powers for as long as possible. It was still Odin's express wish that anyone other than family and healers not have any knowledge of her abilities. She turned her head and watched as Sif attached her two blades to form one, swinging around and slashing at an incoming Jotun, and decided that the woman could hold her own.

Her gaze locked onto Laufey's soulmate and she felt everything around her slow down. Her focus shifted entirely and only one other person noticed. Unfortunately for Laufey, his other warriors were so focused on attacking the Asgardians and safeguarding their King that they remained ignorant to the motions coming from their ruler as he tried fruitlessly to escape their ring of protection.

Not really wanting to have to make good on her earlier promise, Elysia that tried to reason that Thor was the one who struck first, thus causing this whole mess, and that technically Laufey had heeded her warning.

Her musing was interrupted by the sound of her eldest brother's booming voice, "At least make it a challenge for me." Elysia wanted to throttle her brother when it seemed like every Frost Giant on Jotunheim suddenly came crawling out of the crevices.

Elysia kept slashing through bodies as she slowly made her way towards Thor, knowing that at the current moment all their enemies saw him as the biggest threat. She was a little taken aback when Thor's response to a Frost Giant roaring in his face, was to roar right back as if it were normal.

Her previous reservations about using her abilities went straight out of her mind when she watched the same Jotun headbutt Thor and throw him backwards. Elysia saw a shard of ice lying beside her feet and with the flick of her head, sent it hurtling into its thigh.

Picking himself up, Thor turned to Laufey with a grin, "That's more like it." He swung Mjolnir forward, crushing the face of the Jotun his sister had just injured, before calling it back to his hands. He hadn't even realized that she had used her powers.

Elysia had been so focused on making sure she had a firm grip on the energy around her that she didn't notice the Frost Giant barreling towards her. It sent her flying into Sif, both girls groaning from the impact.

Quickly jumping up, both girls made eye contact, silently checking that neither was injured before jumping back into the fray. There would be time to heal later, right now they just had to ensure that they made it off this forsaken ball of ice.

Noticing that she had been tossed closer to Loki, Elysia backed up until the two siblings were back to back, stabbing and slashing any Frost Giant that came too close. And although this was not an ideal position for any of them, Elysia could see the appeal of fighting with her brother by her side. The two of them made a great team, it would have only gotten better if Thor was there with them. But of course their blond brother was much happier to do it all himself.

"Don't let them touch you!"

The six other Asgardians' attention was drawn to Volstagg as they watched an ugly looking burn form on his arm.

Ramming the blade of her dagger into the chest of the Jotun who had wormed his way in between her and her brother during Volstagg's warning, Elysia flung herself towards Loki just as his arm was grabbed and the protective coating of his armor destroyed as the cold burned straight through the metal.

Before she could snap the Frost Giant's neck for daring to try and harm her brother, she watched in complete shock as Loki's arm turned that awful shade of blue. She came to a screeching halt and her mind went blank.

Loki on the other hand, felt as though the breath had been stolen straight out of his lungs. He watched in stunned horror as his skin took on the same shade as the creature who had grabbed him. And although a million thoughts raced through his head, there was only one thing he knew for certain.

He couldn't let anyone find out.

Quickly stabbing the Jotun who had grabbed him and pierced him with a knowing gaze, Loki turned only for his heart to drop to his feet. In his shock he had forgotten that his baby sister had been standing right there, and she had just seen everything. Panic coursed through his veins as he tried desperately to read her blank face.

Shaking off the initial shock, tears of rage formed in her eyes. She understood the gist of what she had seen, and its implications threatened to break her.

Elysia's whole body grew hot as it felt like her blood was boiling in her veins. Golden irises greeted Loki and his face dropped as he noticed the determined fury etched in her stance. He still couldn't tell what she thought, but it didn't seem like she was disgusted by him, and he felt the tendrils of relief licking up the base of his spine.

Elysia on the other hand, was a mess. A beautiful and unhinged mess.

This was not happening, there was no way in all of the nine realms that Elysia would allow this to happen. There were already too many things in the universe that were doing their best to steal Thor right out from under her, namely his friends and their father. There was no possible way in Hel that she would allow Jotunheim to try and steal Loki from her as well.

Thor and Loki were hers. If Jotunheim wanted to take one of them, then Jotunheim would be no more.

And if Laufey was Jotunheim at its very core in the same way that Odin was Asgard, then she'd simply _burn_ the heart right out of him.

Elysia turned her eerie gaze onto one very specific Frost Giant, pinpointing the feel of his soul. She moved with precision and accuracy, ducking past every single body in her way. Holding her hand out, she called the energy to her, and watched as the Frost Giant she had her eye on came rushing in her direction. She reached out and captured his face in her hands as he struggled against her.

She had never done that before, but there was something in her that knew exactly what to do. It was guiding her through the motions, teaching her through example that there were still things that she didn't know she could do.

She had endless potential and had only scratched the surface.

Elysia's eyes caught Laufey's, and she held them as she focused on the creature within her grip. In her mind's eye she could see the dull color of his soul, see the energy that flowed through his very being. It was a strange feeling, looking down at someone you knew you were about to kill. Try as she might, she couldn't completely get rid of the dismal glint in her gaze. Her empathy was once again rearing its head.

Leaning down, Elysia whispered, "Forgive me, but you can't have my brother."

Without another word, she reached out and _yanked_ on the energy.

Her hands grew pleasantly warm as they begun to glow, the bright color calling the attention of those who had been surrounded by nothing but ice and darkness all their lives. Elysia watched as every cell in the Frost Giant's body was drained, and he begun to go limp within her grasp.

Elysia decided that she'd leave a body behind for Joutnheim's King after all. Perhaps looking into the empty gaze of his soulmate would be more excruciating than having nothing left. The knowledge that he could not openly weep over what his people thought was just a warrior proved an added benefit.

The remnant of the infinity stone that lived in her hummed in satisfaction, pleased that its host had finally taken revenge on the one who caused her so much pain.

Laufey watched with wide eyes, not believing what he was seeing. A searing pain bloomed in his chest as he watched the light leave his soulmate's eyes. His mouth remained open in a silent scream that would never be able to properly convey his sorrow. Laufey longed to pull his body into his arms and wake him up, because this had to be a nightmare.

He had tried so hard, spent centuries keeping him at arm's length, just to ensure his safety. And now, in the span of mere moments, he was gone.

Elysia briefly regretted not knowing the Jotun's name. Her quarrel hadn't been with him. Yet in the end, he was the one who had to pay the price. Elysia had to make absolutely sure that the incident with Loki would not make it to the King's ears, and there was no better way for her to distract him, to pull his attention towards her instead, than by taking the one thing he held most dear and ripping it away viciously.

She would paint a target on her back a thousand times over if it meant that whatever was happening to Loki remained between the two of them.

Letting go, she let the body of the King's soulmate drop to her feet.

Loki had kept careful watch of Elysia the whole time, the look on her face before she had grabbed that Frost Giant had unsettled him. He had never seen that kind of anger in her before, nor had he ever seen her use her powers around others so freely. Loki made to reach out to her, to find out what was wrong, but he sharply drew his hand back to his side.

Until he figured out what was wrong with him, he really shouldn't be touching anyone, lest he accidentally pass it onto them.

A sharp cry shattered the still air around them, and everyone except Thor turned to see Fandral with a large shard of ice protruding from his shoulder.

The sight helped clear her head, now was not the time to get lost in anger. Starting to run, she grabbed Loki's hand and dragged him behind her as they swiftly made their way to the rest of their group. Hogun and Volstagg were amidst pulling Fandral from the shard, trying to move him carefully so no further damage was inflicted.

It was not hard to see that the tides had changed and they were outmatched. It seemed like everyone besides Thor had taken note of the same thing. "Thor!" Elysia yelled for her older brother, "It's time to leave!"

Still throwing Mjolnir into bodies left and right, Thor didn't give Elysia's words much consideration. "Then go!" He had come here on a mission, there was no way he was leaving now.

Before Elysia could get properly pissed off at his dismissal, the ground underneath them began to shake. The sound of ice breaking apart drew their attention to the Frost Beast that Laufey was in the middle of unleashing.

Their eyes widened at the grotesque looking animal. Eyes frantically darting around their surroundings, Elysia made a split-second decision. "Run!" She yelled at the others who still remained frozen in their spots, "I'll get Thor and we'll meet you, run and call for Heimdall."

Everything in Loki screamed that he needed to stay with his siblings, but Sif was tugging on his arm and he knew he had a duty to see them home safely. As prince of Asgard he had a responsibility to them, they were his people, and Sif was his brother's soulmate. He'd get them to safety and then come back for Thor and Elysia. He swore he'd come back for them.

Elysia felt immense relief when she saw them run away from the danger out of the corner of her eye. Somewhere along the line she had dropped her sword and she had to make due with a one of Loki's daggers she had found abandoned on the icy ground.

Elysia had thought that the Frost Beast would have stayed by Laufey's side and that she and Thor would have to find a way to kill it, but instead once it was completely free of the ice that surrounded it, the large creature took off after Loki and the others.

Wanting to throw her hands in the air at how wrong this was all going, Elysia took one look back at Thor and knew that nothing short of a miracle was going to drag him away from this fight. She was far too worried about Loki to even consider arguing with Thor at the moment. Reaching her hands out she imagined a shield around him, just like Frigga had taught her.

Protection was the first thing that she had mastered.

A shimmering golden light encased Thor's body and he barely had a second to acknowledge that it was Elysia's doing before she used all her might to fling him in the direction of Loki's energy signature.

Under any other circumstances the sight would have been most entertaining. Watching a wide-eyed Thor go sailing through the air while trapped in a golden bubble, loudly protesting the whole time, would have sent her into a deep laughter. But right now they were fighting for their lives, she would have to laugh about this at a later date.

Gathering energy into her palms, Elysia used it to propel herself into the air as she took off after the rest of them, knowing that she would never make it there in time on foot. The sound of footsteps were loud and heavy from below her, and she knew that the army of Frost Giants were chasing after them.

Loki, Sif, and the Warriors Three had just made it to the edge of a cliff, believing that they had successfully escaped the Beast. They all began calling for Heimdall, on the verge of begging him to open the Bifrost, but nothing happened. No matter how loud they yelled, the Bifrost still remained closed.

There was a brief moment where Loki swore he could hear Thor's voice, but the wind whipping around them limited his field of vision. However he could clearly see when his brother came crashing to the ground at their feet, a golden light fading from his body.

Sif struggled to pick her jaw off the ground when she watched her soulmate loudly curse as he tried to get his bearings back. She wasn't sure where he had just come from, or why he looked so upset, but perhaps the Bifrost would open now that he was here.

It quickly came to everyone's attention that Elysia wasn't with him.

Harshly gripping his brother's shoulders, Loki shook him, "Where is she? Tell me you didn't leave her there!" Fear gripped his heart at the thought of his little sister surrounded by Frost Giants all alone. Never in a million years would he have imagined that Thor would leave her behind, in fact he still didn't believe it, but he was slowly becoming more and more unraveled.

Ignoring Loki's questions, Thor looked around frantically. If Elysia was playing some sort of twisted martyr then when he found her, he'd kill her himself. She knew better than to put herself in the direct line of danger. He cursed Jotunheim and its inhabitable climate as he found that all he could see was white surrounding them for miles.

They were distracted from their thoughts where the menacing sound of growling popped up behind them. Slowly turning, the Asgardians were faced with the Frost Beast in all its glory. It was an ugly looking thing, almost as bad looking as its owners.

Unsheathing their weapons, all but Fandral stood at attention, waiting for the Beast to attack. Before any had the chance to spring into action, Elysia appeared slightly hovering above them, and plucked the sword from Sif's grasp before unceremoniously shoving it into the creature's eye. With a steel glare, she ignored its pained cries and kept pushing until the tip of the sword appeared through the back of its head, ending its life.

Jumping down, Elysia landed in front of the six of them, wiping the blood from the Beast off on her pants. She looked up at Thor with a flat expression, "I am so done with this realm."

At this point the hoard of Frost Giants had caught up with them and cut off any means of escape besides the deadly fall behind them. Rapidly throwing a shield up around them, Elysia gave up on keeping her abilities under wraps. Odin would have to forgive her, because she didn't see how they were going to get out of this without her giving away the fact she could do things normal Asgardians couldn't.

Baring his teeth at her, Laufey banged his fist on the thin looking wall that separated him from his goal. He wanted to carve the heart out of her chest for what she had done, and he would get his revenge soon. There was nowhere for them to go, they were trapped in his realm now.

Preparing to throw them all to the other side of the large crevasse that laid behind them, like she had done to Thor earlier, Elysia was surprised when suddenly the warm feeling of the Bifrost washed over them. The bright light momentarily blinding them all.

Her heart thundered in her chest when the light faded to reveal their father seated upon a horse, in all his royal glory.

Thor was apparently the only one who didn't understand just how bad this new development was. Elysia watched as Thor's face was overtaken in a bright smile as he raised Mjolnir as high as he could from underneath the protective dome she had placed above them, "Father! We'll finish them together!"

Elysia tried to hide her flinch when Odin hissed at him, "Silence!" She truly would have preferred to face off with Laufey once more before she wanted their father to catch them here, against his express orders.

Thor's face dropped in confusion. Why was his father upset with him? He was only trying to get answers for his people, it wasn't his fault that the Frost Giants were unwilling to have a civil discussion.

Manipulating the ice around them to form a pedestal beneath his feet, Laufey used it to rise to Odin's level. Examining the once young warrior who had defeated him, Laufey smirked, "Allfather. You look weary."

"Laufey, end this now."

He wanted to snarl at this old man. He had no clue what he had lost on this day, no idea in the slightest as to what his darling little girl had stolen from him. Just thinking about it threatened to make him wail out in agony. However he had to remain strong, not letting his people know that their King was slowly going mad over the loss of his soulmate. Instead he glared, "Your boy sought this out, and your girl continued it."

Odin's eyebrows furrowed at the mention of his daughter. He didn't know what in the name of the nine realms Laufey was talking about in regards to Elysia, but he knew his children well enough to guess that she had done something in the name of protecting her brothers. He decided to keep the focus on Thor's actions for now, "You're right. And these are the actions of a boy, treat them as such. You and I can end this here and now, before there's any more bloodshed." He had no desire for another Great War to break out, the last one had cost more than he was willing to pay. Odin was worried that another would cost him his children.

Thinking back to the sight of the Asgardian princess draining the life out of his mate, Laufey remained unmoved. "We are beyond diplomacy now, Allfather. They'll get what they came for. War and death is all that awaits them."

"So be it." If Laufey was so determined to engage in another war, then he would get one. Odin had learned long ago that sometimes there was no reasoning with some people, and Laufey was one of them. Like he had taught his children, he didn't want a war but he was prepared for one.

Slyly forming an ice dagger at his side, Laufey reared up to lodge it into Odin's chest. But the older man was not naive and moved quicker. Lifting his staff into the air, he summoned a force and Laufey was slung to the side, having to grab ahold of a rock before he went tumbling off the edge of the cliff.

The whole time Odin spoke, Elysia had watched Laufey with cold and emotionless eyes. She held that gaze until she and all the others were sucked up into the Bifrost. She knew this was far from over and that they would meet again on the battlefield, but she took comfort in the fact that he would now feel the same pain that her Mama had felt all those centuries ago. Laufey would know true emptiness for his sins.

The King of the Frost Giants had stolen Asta's soulmate.

It was only fitting that her daughter come back to steal his.

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AN: Laufey's soulmate was totally a dude because I casually joked about it with my friend and she started cackling. After that I couldn't not put it in. Hope you enjoyed it!

 _SunnySides_ : Perhaps saying he was okay with it was the wrong wording. What I meant was that as far as Bucky knows, the only thing Hydra is going to use his soulmate for is motivation to keep him in line, not to subject her to torture. Mainly because if they tried to hurt her, obviously his loyalties would no longer lie with them. I really enjoy reading your reviews!

 _UnknownReaderHasJoined_ : Thank you! I can't say too much without giving some things away, but I will say that there were a couple things you mentioned that were on the right track.

 _Guest_ : I totally have the Tesseract arch planned, forgot to mention that to you guys but no I didn't forget about it. It'll be talked about in a flashback. Thanks for reading!


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Finals were brutal this quarter and trying to write a sad Loki was really breaking my heart.

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 **Chapter 11: A Family Torn**

Arriving back in Asgard should have felt better than it did.

Elysia's knees very nearly buckled when the weight of what she had done finally hit her. When she'd made her threat to Laufey she had never actually thought that she would have to follow through with it, knowing that he would do all in his power to make sure her stipulations were followed.

But then Jotunheim had tried to claim Loki and the only thing she could do besides destroying the entire realm was to simply break its ruler.

Elysia despised killing, hated it even more when it seemed to be the only option available. The price on her head would be high, Laufey would do anything to ensure her capture now. It hadn't been her intention to bring war back home, but then again Elysia hadn't counted on their father ever showing up.

Odin took charge immediately and ordered Sif and the Thor's other two friends to take Fandral to the healers, and waited until they had quickly dragged him off before rounding on his children. Though he only had one eye, his glare was still quite capable of making them bow their heads in shame. Under typically circumstances that was, not now.

No, now was not one of those times. Thor glared right back at Odin defiantly, refusing to cower under the steely gaze of his father. Protecting their people was what he had been taught to do, what he had been trained to do, he didn't understand how his father could look at him as though he was a stranger. "Why did you bring us back?"

Odin was having a hard time not throttling his eldest. "Do you realize what you've done, what you've started?"

Thor was insistent in his stance, "I was protecting my home." He had spent his whole life hearing about how important it was to ensure Asgard's safety, it had been drilled in all of their heads from the moment they came to an age when they understood the weight that would one day rest on their shoulders.

"You cannot even protect your friends!" Yanking Heimdall's sword out of the Bifrost key, Odin tossed it to his gatekeeper and gave him a hard stare that told the man to leave. This was a family matter and no one else would be permitted to be in attendance. Once Heimdall had left he turned back to Thor, "How can you hope to protect the kingdom?"

Frustrated by the lack of faith his father had in him, Thor's voice got deeper as he went on the defense. "There won't be a kingdom to protect if you're afraid to act. The Jotuns must learn to fear me, just as they once feared you."

Loki sharply inhaled and his gaze fell to the floor. The reminder of what had happened on Jotunheim rung loudly in his head. The hate that was interwoven into Thor's voice when he spoke of the Frost Giants sent chills up his spine. For the first time in his life, Loki didn't know what his brother would do if he told him what happened. Would he recoil in fear and horror the way he thought Elysia would?

The warmth of a firm hand on his shoulder drew his attention to his sister. While she didn't look back at him, he knew that she was aware of the turmoil in his head. He resisted the urge to clutch onto her hand, knowing that the argument before them was far more important.

"That's pride and vanity talking, not leadership. You've forgotten everything I taught you about a warrior's patience."

Thor's shoulders rolled back as he stood taller. "While you wait and be patient the nine realms laugh at us." Any hint of the young man who wanted his father's approval vanished as his tone shifted into something harder, "The old ways are done. You'd stand giving speeches while Asgard falls."

There were certain things that one typically avoided when trying to maintain a calm and peaceful discussion with another. This happened to be one of those things.

That was the last straw for Odin. A vibrant red bloomed against his skin, spreading like a rash. Leaning forward, Odin lost all pretenses of his cool collective nature as his voice vibrated around them. "You're a vain, greedy, cruel boy!"

Losing his control as well, Thor matched his father's raised volume, "And you are an old man and a fool!"

Silence rung out around them. Never before had one of them spoken to their father in such a manner. No matter how frustrated they may have been with him, not once were they ever disrespectful to his face. That didn't mean that Odin always deserved that respect, but the three had been raised to give it regardless of any personal feelings they may have held.

Elysia found that she was torn between pride that Thor had finally taken their father off of whatever pedestal he had him on, and disappointment that the only reason he did so was because he thought violence was the answer to their issue.

But then again Elysia really didn't have any room for an opinion. After all she had just used violence as a solution to one of her problems. She had taken a life with her own two hands because that was all she could think to do in that moment. While it might not be the best option, violence was often the most convenient.

Lowering his gaze to the floor, all the anger seemed to drain from Odin. He lowered his gaze to the floor, missing the regretful look on his son's face. "Yes, I was a fool..." he murmured, "to think that you were ready."

A sense of trepidation fell over Loki. It was wholly unfair of their father to place all the blame on Thor. Slipping out from under Elysia's hand, Loki stepped forward, intent on speaking in his brother's behalf. "Father-"

Cutting off his son, Odin whirled towards him and shoved a finger in his direction before growling loudly. It was so unexpected that Loki instantly straightened and took an involuntary step back at the sound.

The hair on the back of Elysia's neck stood at attention and her stomach turned at the viciousness Odin was currently displaying. Outbursts from their father was not a new concept to them, but then again, he had never looked at one of them as though they were the enemy.

Looking back at his firstborn son, Odin steeled himself to hand down a sentence he never thought he would have to. "Thor Odinson, you have betrayed the express command of your King, through your arrogance and stupidity you have opened these peaceful realms and innocent lives to the horror and desolation of war."

In one fell swoop, he slammed his staff into the key to the Bifrost, activating it, and strode towards Thor. He was determined to keep the heartbreak from reaching his face. It was never an easy thing to accept that one's child had made such a grave mistake that there was no avoiding the harshest of punishments.

In spite of his sadness, there was no way that Odin Allfather would ever be able to admit that his son's mistakes stemmed from him. Odin would never take responsibility to the damage he had bestowed upon his children. To acknowledge his own shortcomings was simply not in his nature.

"You are unworthy of these realms" Odin reached out and ripped the armor from his son's chest, "You are unworthy of your title! You are unworthy of the loved ones you've betrayed."

There was a feeling that crept up on her as she watched, like red hot coals burning a path from her ribcage to her throat. It surged upwards, longing to escape. Elysia could put up with a lot. She could bear any weight if it meant that the people she loved didn't have to. She would gladly stand in front of their parents and be told that they never loved nor cared for her if it meant that she would never have to see the same look of devastation on Thor's face that she did now.

A blade through her heart would hurt less.

Elysia loved every member of her adopted family, would give her life up for them in a moment's notice, but her brothers had always occupied a special place in her heart. She hated the idea of having favorites, but she knew if it came down to a choice, Loki and Thor would always come before Odin and Frigga.

And that was the exact reason that she could not stand by and allow Odin to berate and degrade her beloved brother any longer.

Odin made to reach out to rip the bright red cape from his son's shoulders, the one he knew Thor held dear as it was a gift from his sister, when a quiet hiss halted him.

"How dare you."

Odin didn't have time to turn to identify the source of the interruption when there was suddenly a body forcing its way in between him and Thor. Stumbling back slightly at the intrusion, Odin met the heated glare of his daughter as she faced him head on.

Thor had been struggling to hold back his tears as the cruel words of his father cut deep. The last thing that he expected was his little sister to place herself in front of him, as though she were his shield. And when she spoke all he could do was stare down at her in awe as he let her words wash over him like a soothing balm.

"How dare you tell him he's not worthy of us! You truly are a fool to suggest the blame rests solely on Thor's shoulders. We all willingly followed his lead."

Odin on the other hand was not amused nor impressed. "This does not concern you. When I want your opinion on a matter, I will ask you Elysia."

A harsh laugh exploded from her. How her father could be so callous was not something she would ever be able to understand. "It is no mere opinion father. Why do you refuse to hear the truth? Yes, Thor ignored your wishes, but he was not the only one in that room. Loki and I were standing right there when you told him not to seek out vengeance. We have disobeyed you all the same." She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, "If you are so determined to punish one of us, then you must punish all of us."

Her act of defiance did not sit well with Odin. Frigga and him had always made it a point to make sure that the three children were close to one another, something that now seemed to come back to bite him. It appeared that pointing at his children was fast becoming a habit, because the next thing he knew his finger was inches from her face as he roared out, "Silence!"

Instead of cowering, Elysia stood firm in the face of her father's fury. Her gaze hardened as it became clear to her that he refused to see reason. She didn't know how her brothers and her were going to get out of this, but she would not move until Odin was once again calm. That she knew for sure.

However when he saw the firm resolve in his daughter's eyes, something snapped in Odin. He was unused to others openly defying him, especially his own children, and he wouldn't stand for it. And like always, he spoke without thinking about the gravity of his words. "If you are so eager to be punished alongside your brother that could certainly be arranged. Perhaps keeping you here, away from your soulmate for a few more centuries, would help teach you a valuable lesson in respect."

Whatever fear she may have held for her father was abandoned at the perceived threat to what was hers.

There was a moment where the air stood still around them, a moment when the normal sounds of life fell to a hush as though it knew that even the slightest hint of interruption could be catastrophic. Odin didn't even have enough time to truly understand the severity of the threat he made before he went slamming into the wall behind him.

There was a startling sneer planted on his daughter's face that told him to stay where he was.

Her eyes, which at times portrayed a warm glow reminiscent of honey, now shone as though a barely contained wild fire blazed within them. She snarled at him with teeth bared, "I would sooner tear the nine realms apart with my bare hands before I let you keep me from him." Golden wisps danced along her fingertips, the beauty of it never betraying its deadly nature. "If you stand in the way of me claiming my soulmate, then father or not, your life becomes forfeit."

Elysia would rip this universe apart if he dared to try. War with the Frost Giants would be the least of his problems.

The others in the room had been so focused on the verbal spar between father and daughter that they had failed to note Frigga's arrival.

* * *

The matriarch stood and watched her crumbling family with a heavy heart. They were so engrossed in their anger that they failed to notice her presence. She had almost interjected when she watched her husband speak about how unworthy their son was, but the shaking form of her daughter kept her feet glued to the floor.

It took all Frigga had not to gasp in horror when her husband entertained the thought of denying Elysia her mate. Her daughter's response was to be expected, the rage pouring out of her was justified. Frigga could only imagine what she would've done if someone had threatened to keep her from Odin.

Her husband should've known better than to use the sacredness of a soulmate against their children.

Hoping to stop the situation from escalating further, Frigga finally spoke up. "My love that's quite enough."

She easily identified the surprise in their eyes once they saw her in the entrance to the dome of the Bifrost. She took small pleasure in how Elysia's stance softened when she turned and their gazes met.

What Frigga didn't know was that her interruption allowed Elysia the time to focus on the comfort and reassurance the mark on her wrist was sending her, thus giving way to a channel of warmth directly to her soul. The sensation served as a reminder that her soulmate was still connected to her, a fact Elysia was most grateful for.

Odin's heart dropped when he heard his wife's voice. He hadn't wanted her to witness this, knowing that it would only stir unwanted emotions within his mate. And although he dreaded it, Odin turned to face Frigga. He knew that he would've had to break the news to her, but it was a whole different thing for her to see it with her own two eyes.

He clenched his jaw before making his way to the light of his life. The three siblings were left behind and Elysia made sure to shift so that she was still in front of Thor like a barricade. Although their father's attention had shifted, she still didn't trust him.

Once Odin was standing directly in front of her, Frigga could read his intentions and felt as though she had been drenched with ice water. "No, please." She grasped ahold of his shirt and fisted the fabric in her hands. A glossy sheen coated her eyes as she quietly begged her husband to reconsider.

Odin lent in and the words he whispered into her ear brought along an onslaught of memories that always served a healthy dose of self-hatred. "The decision has already been made. I cannot in good conscious allow Thor to follow in Hela's footsteps. I will not allow it. If that means he must learn this lesson the hard way, then so be it."

Stepping back, Odin looked into his wife's eyes, silently apologizing for what he was about to do. She was the one person that he couldn't stand to see disappointed in him. But at the same time, he was King of Asgard and he had to do what was best for their people. He wished he didn't have to make these kinds of choices, but he did.

Though Frigga understood the position he was coming from, she couldn't force herself to meet his stare, knowing that with one look into the eyes that she adored, she would break down in tears. So instead she looked past her husband's shoulders to her youngest son and nodded towards Elysia in resignation.

Loki could read the plea in his mother's eyes, the one that urged him to step forward and gather Elysia in his arms. He did his best to ignore the confused hurt she sent his way as he led her away from Thor. He held on tight, for he could see what his sister couldn't. If their mother could not persuade Odin, then nothing they would do or say would even come close to swaying him. And if they stood in his way, they would be signing themselves away as nothing more than collateral damage.

Odin accepted that his wife would not look at him and made his way back to his staff resolutely. Holding out his hand, he hardened himself for what he had to do. "I now take from you, your power." Mjolnir was ripped from Thor's grip and went sailing into Odin's hand.

"What?" Elysia breathed out in confusion. "What does he think he's doing?" Her question went unanswered as Loki looked on with a heavy heart while apprehension lined his face.

"The name of my father, and his father before." At Odin's command the armor on Thor's shoulders shed from him. Thor looked at his arms with wide eyes before staring up at Odin in disbelief.

Elysia tried to lurch forwards once she realized what their father meant to do. She was the last one in the room to come to the conclusion, and a fear unlike any she'd ever felt before quickly fell over her. She very nearly knocked Loki off of her, she would have succeeded if it hadn't been for a flash of green magic that forced the two of them further away from Thor. Elysia shot their mother an astounded look at her intrusion. How could she stand there and allow this to happen?

There was no way for Elysia to try and counter her mother's magic without hurting her, so she stuck to trying to fight against it physically.

But she wasn't fast enough.

"I, Odin Allfather cast you out!"

The last thing Thor saw before he was sent spiraling into the Bifrost after being hit by a burst of lightning from Mjolnir, was the terrified look upon his younger siblings' faces. His heart went out to them, frightened beyond belief at the idea of being separated from them for the first time in his life.

"NO!" Elysia desperately tried to throw herself towards the Bifrost that their father had just thrown Thor into with renewed vigor, but Loki still held her fast against him. The more she struggled, the tighter his grip grew until finally she fell limp in his arms, sending both of them onto their knees.

The tears cascading down her face couldn't be stopped as she sobbed for her eldest brother, the broken keening sounds escaping her and the way she tried to reach out toward the Bifrost only served to further break Loki's heart.

Elysia felt like someone had taken her head and slammed it against the ground repeatedly as it began to pound, and before she could stop herself, she started to scream.

"Give him back!"

She didn't know who to aim the words at.

"Give him back!"

Odin, Frigga, Loki, the Bifrost, even the universe itself. She didn't care who, as long as someone answered the cry and just gave Thor back.

"Give him back to me!"

She felt like a part of her was gone. She wasn't whole without both her brothers. Elysia felt like she was coming undone, her vision started to spin and she could have sworn she blacked out for a half second.

Odin shifted and glanced at his daughter in concern. He had never expected her to completely fall apart. He took a step towards her only to come to an abrupt stop when his son shifted her away with one hand and looked up at him in distrust.

Loki wanted to take his screaming and trembling sister and run. Run far away from the man who was supposed to love them more than life itself. Run from the man who had just banished their big brother in a fit of anger. Never in his wildest dreams did Loki ever imagine that he would have to protect his sister from their father. But when he saw Odin try to come near them, he knew instantly that he would. No longer trusting their father with the only sibling he had left, Loki prepared himself to draw his weapon right then and there. He knew in his heart that there was no question about whether or not he would be able to follow through if it meant that Elysia would remain safe and sound at his side.

Like Thor should have been.

It had always been the three of them. They didn't know how to function without each other, which is exactly why Elysia was reacting the way she was. She'd never been without one of them since the day she was born, she didn't understand what to do when they weren't together. How were they supposed to continue on when one of them was missing? There was a gaping hole in him, one he knew Elysia also felt.

Both siblings longed to throw themselves into the Bifrost after Thor, because they would rather be exiled as one than separated. Their hearts cried out at the thought of their eldest brother all alone with no protection.

Frigga watched from the sidelines with a hand covering her mouth to stop her own cries. She didn't think her heart could break any further, but seeing her youngest son's hand flinch to where his dagger laid tucked in the back of his pants when her husband tried to approach them, proved her wrong. For the second time in her life, Frigga watched as her family fell apart and yet another one of her children were cast out.

And once again it came by her husband's hand.

She loved her soulmate, was practically wired to regardless of his flaws, but she loved her children more. And it was that fierce maternal love that whispered a hard to swallow truth.

That her husband time and time again, proved to be the biggest threat to the safety and happiness of her children.

It made her ill that she could not defend the actions of her spouse, and if she was being honest with herself, she wasn't sure she wanted to. So instead she focused on blocking out her daughter's screams while trying to hold herself together till she could be alone.

Suddenly remembering who it was that had just derailed her entire world, Elysia's cries cut off and her grief took a backseat as she turned her wet eyes onto her father. The sight of him standing there, having the nerve to look as though he were hurt and concerned by what had just occurred was what pushed her over the ledge.

With pupils that still shone brighter than any sun, Elysia glared fiercely at the man who had just ripped her eldest brother from her. When she opened her mouth to speak, the voice that came from her was not her own. It held an authority that could only come from something that had lived much longer than she had.

"One day Odin Allfather, what you covet most shall be ripped from you just as viciously." A fracture formed on the wall behind Odin. "And when you beg for it to be returned, the universe will turn its back and watch as you drown in sorrow." The heat of the fury originating from her filled the room, seemingly sucking out all the oxygen. "This we swear." Energy from all around them jolted as it responded to the conduit in the vicinity.

It took everything Odin had not to let the chill of her words show on his face. Unable to stand the looks of betrayal and hatred his children were sending his way, Odin took hold of Frigga's hand and swept them out of area without another word.

Little did he know that his actions on this day would spark the birth of his downfall.

* * *

It had taken a handful of hours before Loki or Elysia could gather the strength to pick themselves up from the ground and make their way back to their home. Both siblings had gone their separate ways once reaching the corridor that held their rooms, both not looking up in fear that they would take one glance at Thor's door and break down once more.

Although Elysia knew that the best thing for Loki and her at the moment was to remain together, she had to admit to herself that she needed a moment to let the events of the day sink in properly. At the start of the day she had been so thrilled for her brother's special ceremony and now she was mourning his banishment.

So Elysia stood in the center of her room and wondered when everything had gone so wrong. She wondered when it was that Odin decided that casting his children out and stripping them of their birthright had become something he was okay with doing.

Her throat was still sore from her screams and her thoughts were jumbled as she tried to make sense of it all, and that was without thinking about Loki's apparent ability to turn blue.

Another thing she wished she didn't have to think about.

They never should have gone to Jotunheim. She should have tried harder to talk Thor out of his ridiculous idea. She should have run to their father and told him of their plans the moment the thought passed through Thor's lips. Perhaps then none of this would have occurred.

Elysia cursed herself for not being braver.

The sounds of glass shattering brought her out of her misery and panic swept through her veins at the thought of something happening to the one brother she had left. Elysia tore out of her room and raced towards Loki's.

* * *

Loki, much like Elysia, was trapped within his thoughts. On one hand he could spend many more hours simply focusing on what Thor's banishment was going to mean for the rest of them. But on the other hand, concerns about what occurred on Jotunheim were eating him alive.

He leaned up against the door, the back of his head thumping against the wood. Staring at nothing in particular he let his thoughts run wild, recalling the words of his family and those he considered to be friends, Sif if he was being specific.

Their words, everything that he had heard over the course of his life played through his mind on repeat. Like pieces of a puzzle, they all started coming together.

 _From the very beginning you were surprising us._

Things he had never picked up on.

 _You were my miracle child darling, the one I didn't think I'd get._

Things that should have made him stop and think.

 _Mother said that you were very sick when you were born Loki, so no one was allowed to be around you until you got better._

He had never questioned the validity in those statements. Why should he have? What reason did he have to believe that he was being lied to?

 _My mother said that the day Lady Frigga announced your existence it shocked everyone that she was so well adept at hiding her pregnancy._

The more he recalled, the more it felt like his skin was crawling. Prying himself off the door, he began to pace. That soon gave way to heaving and flinching, as if every word were a sharp sting of a whip upon his back. Loki didn't understand how this could have happened.

 _I suppose you could say you fooled the whole of Asgard brother. Truly mischievous indeed._

The image of Elysia's head tilted back as the sound of her sweet laughter rang out around them while she teased him caused him to stop pacing. He longed to scream like Elysia had earlier until his throat bled, to purge himself of this sickness that laid under the surface of his veins. He couldn't be a Jotun, he just _couldn't_ be.

They were the enemy of his people, the monsters that plagued his sister's dreams when they were mere children. Whatever happened on Jotunheim had to be some sort of mistake, a mere trick of the eye.

This couldn't be what fate had planned for him.

But every sign seemed to be pointing in that direction.

Looking up, Loki gazed at his reflection in the mirror to his left, searching desperately to find any trace of Odin or Frigga in his features. If he could just find a hint of Thor in his eyes or even something as simple as the shape of his nose, then he could cast aside the poisonous notions running through his mind.

But it wasn't there.

Green eyes bore back at him and the narrowness of his jaw mocked him. The dark strands of hair felt heavy for the first time in his life. What he once saw as a way to tie himself to his sister, now only served as a grim revelation that he was the outcast. The one piece of the puzzle who didn't fit.

Yanking the dagger out from the back of his pants, he threw it at his reflection and watched with hollow satisfaction as it shattered into a million pieces. Feeling like he was one moment away from destroying everything in sight, Elysia bursting in was the only thing that stopped him. Loki stared at his sister in shock, taking careful note of the unrestrained panic on her face.

Although when she saw that he was in no danger that panic disappeared. Taking a look around the room it was easy for her to see that Loki had broken his mirror, and Elysia had a pretty good guess as to why. It broke her heart that she didn't know how to comfort him, to assure him that what he was thinking was impossible. Because after what had just happened, Elysia could no longer say that she knew their parents as well as she thought.

Slowly Elysia reached out and gently dragged Loki to the ground with her, both of them propping themselves up against the end of his bed, their shoulders touching.

"I don't understand how any of this is possible." His voice was soft, slightly breaking which revealed how small he felt at the moment.

"Then we must ask the one person who holds the answers."

Although Elysia wasn't sure that she wanted to know the answer, or even if it would help any, the fact still remained that Loki desperately needed to know. And if that meant marching right up to their father and demanding the truth from him, she would. She had lost too much this day to be concerned about tiptoeing the line of propriety in regards to Odin.

She promised herself that no matter what happened she would stand tall at Loki's side. Nothing Odin would tell them could pry her from him.

The two of them sat, shoulder to shoulder, knowing full well that neither would find the peace of mind to truly rest. Loki knew that soon his world might come crashing down around him and Elysia knew that the two of them would need to find Sif and break the news about her soulmate.

But for right now, the two of them were perfectly content to sit for a few more moments with each other. With their eyes closed in the shared silence, they could almost pretend that Thor was still with them.

Odin would remain ignorant as to the extent of the damage he had caused. The light that burned so brightly within all three of his children flickered for the first time in their lives.

* * *

AN: Thanks for all the positive comments and feedback! I'm so happy that you guys like the story! I just hope I'm doing these amazing characters justice.

 _akagami hime chan:_ I love Sif so much and the thought of having to write her and the siblings not getting along caused me physical pain. I love all of them way too much to do that. Don't worry, Sif will get all her love in the end. I will say this though, there will be a slight amount of Thor and Jane because I am a firm believer in this story that my dude is going to have to learn how to differentiate between true love and mere fascination, but I swear that Sif and Thor are endgame. Sorry to everyone who wants him to end up with Jane.

 _SunnySides:_ Yes, I also believe that if Thor would have known then things would have played out differently. And having Elysia know will definitely help Loki cope with all his emotions and the choices that he makes. Laufey for sure has it out for her now, but Elysia would much rather that then him take an interest in Loki. Also I can say with a happy heart that Bucky will make an appearance in the next chapter, which I'm super stoked about and I can only hope that everyone else will like it as much as I do.


	12. Chapter 12

AN: As promised, Bucky makes a reappearance for this chapter. I'm also going to bounce between the siblings, as a way to show the extent of how their separation is affecting them. I figured it's important for me to mention that Odin doesn't really get better, he's not going to have a redemption arch where he becomes this loving and amazing father. So, fair warning, if any of you are huge supporters of Odin realizing his mistakes and learning from them then I wouldn't recommend continuing with this story, because as far as Odin is concerned he gets a whole lot worse.

* * *

 **Chapter 12: A Shattered Trio**

Winter was pissed.

No, pissed didn't even begin to cover it.

Winter was fucking _furious_.

His soulmate was in pain and he couldn't do a damn thing about it. He just had to grit his teeth and act like he didn't want to put a bullet into the person causing his mate to feel helpless. Every nerve in his body was on edge as complete heartbreak washed over him, stronger than anything he had ever felt before.

He was being sent out on a mission and he could hardly even focus while the scientists in front of him took his vitals. Winter briefly entertained the thought of painting the world red until his mate was revealed to him. If there was even the slightest chance that plan would work than no force in this fucking world would stop him.

But it wouldn't, and that only pissed him off more. Winter had gotten used to the small bursts of emotion that he would feel randomly throughout the day, each one serving as a reminder that his soulmate was out there, that she was _alive_.

Sometimes the longing that would come from his mark would wash over him like a whispered caress against his skin, sending fire racing through his veins that could never be stomped out. It was times like those that Winter allowed his thoughts to drift.

Would she fit into his arms perfectly? Would her heartbeat race at the sight of him? He wondered if she could find a home in his blood-stained hands. He had lived so long in the goddamn dark that he longed to know if she would glow when the sun hit her skin.

There was not a moment that went by when Winter wasn't thinking about his soulmate, usually trying to picture what she would look like, how she would sound. But now the only thoughts that raced through his head were ones where she was suffering, ones where her face was stained with tears.

The arm of the chair twisted and groaned underneath the weight of metal fingers as they made their permanent imprint.

Instantly guards stood at attention, watching him warily, waiting for the infamous Winter Soldier to once again lose control. Hydra had gone through more scientists and guards when Winter was out of cryofreeze than ever before.

But they wouldn't get one because for once Winter felt in complete control. He sat, eyes narrowed at the ground, the voice in his head repeating one thing over and over again.

 _Find the fucker who caused her this pain, and pay them back tenfold._

Winter tried to ignore the hope that sprung in his heart at the thought that this might be the mission where he would finally find her. He ignored it because all too often he felt the sharp stab of disappointment when he was escorted back to base with words that still remained unspoken.

Maybe New Mexico would be different.

* * *

Thor's day just kept getting worse and worse, with no end in sight. He had been ripped from his home, his mother, his soulmate, his friends, and his siblings. The two people he swore never to abandon were now beyond his reach.

His father had sent him to Midgard. It wasn't a hard conclusion to jump to, of course his father would send him here, where he obviously thought he'd learn some sort of lesson among the weaker species.

He had tried calling for Heimdall, demanding he be brought back, needing to go back. Didn't his father understand? If war with the Frost Giants truly was coming, how did him being down here in this realm help anyone? His little sister and brother would have to face that challenge without him there to protect them. That was not something that was okay with him.

Then those Midgardians had shown up with their incessant talking, distracting him from what he was trying to do. Just when he had been ready to turn and growl at them to shut their mouths, there was a violent shock running through his veins and everything went black.

" _C'mon Elysia, I promise it doesn't hurt that bad." A young Thor held out the dagger, trying to show his little sister that there was nothing to be afraid of._

" _Do we have to cut our palms?" Elysia eyed the sharp blade warily, although she knew Thor would never hurt her it was still scary to think about having someone as young as them handling a weapon. At this age Odin and Frigga had made it very clear to the three of them that they weren't allowed to play with anything they found in the training area, and yet here they were._

" _Father says there's nothing stronger than a blood oath." Loki's soft voice broke through the barricade of fear surrounding her, trying its best to soothe the raging ocean she seemed to float on. He had been the first to allow Thor near with his blade and stood waiting for his siblings to follow suit._

 _With the encouragement of both her brothers, Elysia tried to summon every inch of bravery she had and stuck her palms out towards Thor, "Be quick please." Trying to distract herself, she looked at the flowers that surrounded them as they stood in the center of their mother's garden._

 _Both boys knew that she was still frightened, the slight shaking of her hands gave it away, but they were proud she was trying her best. Using one of his hands to cup hers, Thor gently dragged the blade across the soft skin of her palm before quickly doing the same to the other one. To Elysia's credit she didn't make a sound._

 _Not wanting to wait a moment longer, Thor turned the blade to himself and replicated the cuts he placed on his siblings upon himself. There wasn't much blood, just enough to accomplish their goal. "Okay, hold up your hands now." One by one each of them connected their bloody palms, forming a circle with their bodies._

 _Together the three of them repeated the blood oath they had modified to fit their needs, "Under the name of the house of Odin we pledge to tie our lives to one another. Let the sacred bond between us three be witnessed by the Allfathers of old and may the grace of Valhalla see fit to bless it."_

 _The three small children giggled as they felt the promise between them settle deep into their bones. Feeling elated, Elysia glanced up at her big brothers, admiring the way their eyes gleamed with the same excitement, "Till the end, right?"_

 _The sunlight seemed to bounce off the petals of the flowers surrounding them, encasing them in the faintest of glows. Thor and Loki smiled brightly at Elysia, not a hint of weariness that lined the faces of their elders present._

" _Till the very end little sister. Nothing and no one can ever truly tear us apart now."_

The images of the bonding his siblings and him had performed before Elysia had been deemed unstable in their early years faded as Thor's eyes opened to reveal more Midgardians standing above him.

"Hi. Just taking a little blood."

Thor could hardly believe the sheer audacity this Midgardian had to try and perform experiments upon him. Yanking his arm from the grip the man had on it, Thor let his full ire be known. "How dare you attack the son of Odin?" His head spun briefly as he sat up, and before he knew it there were more hands placed upon him, trying to push him back down.

There was no way in Hel this would be allowed to stand.

Thor then did what Thor did best, he fought. They kept rushing at him but he refused to stand down. He cursed his father for taking his strength. Earlier he had battled Frost Giants and won and now it was taking all he had to subdue these small Midgardians.

Suddenly there were bodies crowding him from every angle, pushing him up against a strange door. Despite the fact that he was outnumbered, Thor refused to give in. He would get out of this, this _prison_ , and he would make his way home.

"You are no match for the mighty-" There was a sharp prick in his backside and once again everything started fading to black. Why in the nine realms had his father sent him here?

* * *

Elysia and Loki took time to collect themselves before they both made their way to where The Warriors Three and Sif would be resting, awaiting the news of what had happened during their explosive family argument.

The siblings pushed open the doors while heavy hearts, still not wanting to believe that today was anything more than a nightmare that they would wake up from any minute. Elysia couldn't stop the traitorous tear from slipping down her cheek when she locked eyes with Sif, who was in the middle of nervously pacing. How was she supposed to stand in front of her friend and admit that she hadn't been able to protect the woman's soulmate, her own brother?

The lack of Thor and the sight of lingering tear tracks on both Loki and Elysia's cheeks did nothing to ease the nerves twisting in Sif's stomach. Her heart dropped when Elysia shook her head, but it wasn't until she spoke that Sif felt like someone had ripped the ground out from under her.

"Odin banished him."

Elysia had never felt so powerless before. Thor had slipped through her fingertips and she was left with nothing more than memories that haunted her. Things she once looked back on fondly where replaced by the image of his face as he was sent hurtling into the Bifrost, the sheen of tears that glossed over his eyes as Odin disowned him, and the way he flinched back subtly as his character was put under attack by the one man he looked up to the most.

Looking at Sif now, seeing the way the young woman seemed to curl into herself, brought it all back. Reminded her that she had to bring Thor home, not just for her and Loki but also for their lifelong friend whose heart was intertwined with his.

"We should never have let him go."

Elysia wanted to groan. It was never about _letting_ Thor do anything. "No, we all should've been firmer in telling him we wouldn't go." If she had just put her foot down in regards to her disagreement, tried harder to explain all the reasons that it wasn't a good idea, than perhaps none of this would have happened.

Fandral, who was nursing his wound, delved into his sparse supply of seriousness. "Well, at least he's only banished, not dead. Which is what we'd all be if that guard hadn't told Odin where we'd gone."

At that Elysia thought back to a few hours ago when Loki had shamefully admitted that he had been the reason Odin was able to find them. He had been so hesitant and mentioned it so quietly, as though he truly believed that she would be upset with him over such a thing. She did her best to reassure him that he did nothing wrong, even commending him for being brave enough to know they would be in need of assistance.

However it was easy for her to forget that no one else in the room knew the reasons behind his actions. They were born of love and concern, nothing more or less.

"How did the guard even know?" Volstagg looked at them all and Loki finally drew his gaze up from the floor.

"I told him."

Elysia just wished that there was more confidence in his tone when he spoke. There were a great many things for the two of them to regret about this day, but that was not one of them.

Fandral sat up, wincing as he did so, and looked back at Loki as though he hadn't quite heard him correctly, "What?"

Clearing his throat, Loki stood a little taller. To anyone besides Sif and Elysia it looked as though Loki had gained a sudden confidence. But both women knew that it was merely false bravado, something Odin instilled into all his children. "I told him to go to Odin after we left. He should be flogged for taking so long." Elysia knew that was merely the frustration speaking. Loki had a bad habit of shouldering the blame whenever something went wrong between the three of them. "We should never have reached Jotunheim."

Volstagg raised his voice in disbelief, "You told the guard?" There was a hint of anger hidden behind those words, one that stemmed from the misconception of betrayal.

Elysia was quick to snap back, intolerant of any disrespect aimed at her brother. "Watch your tone." Her voice was hard, and it matched the look Sif had sent to Volstagg.

Loki begun to fidget with his hands, a nervous tick he picked up from Frigga when they were younger. There was a plea to listen in his words, "I saved our lives, Thor's life. I had no idea father would banish him for what he did."

Elysia didn't appreciate that Loki felt he needed to explain that he meant no harm on his brother. Such a thing should have been common knowledge. "He did what I should've done. It's because of him that the situation isn't worse." She was quickly growing tired of having to explain Loki and herself to Thor's friends.

Sif looked back at the siblings with a new gleam of determination that warred against desperation in her eyes. "Loki, you must go to the Allfather and convince him to change his mind."

Being reminded that in this instance, the one that mattered most, Loki couldn't do a thing only made him volatile. Tears burned in the corners of his eyes, "And if I do, then what? The three of us love Thor more dearly than any of them. If there was even the slightest of chances that talking to father would work do you not think Elysia and I wouldn't have already tried?"

Loki refused to lose hold of his emotions in the presence of The Warriors Three. So he turned swiftly and made his way out of the room, feeling like a weight had made a permanent home in his chest.

Seeing the crushed look on Sif's face, Elysia hurried to do damage control. "What my brother means is that there is nothing we want more than for Thor to be back with us. But until father thinks he has learned whatever lesson he is supposed to, anything we say in his defense will be discounted. There is no use trying to talk him out of it. Trust us, mother already tried and not even her tears swayed that man."

If Loki and Elysia thought it would help, they would've already stormed to Heimdall and demanded he send them to Thor's location so they could retrieve him.

But of course Odin couldn't make anything easy for them.

They couldn't just wander into Midgard and spirit Thor away. Odin had stripped him of his power, ripped Mjolnir away, they couldn't reverse that damage on their own. Unless Odin gave him his powers back, Thor would be nothing more than a mere Midgardian in Asgard, and at the current moment that was the most dangerous thing he could be.

War with Laufey was no longer an empty threat, it was coming and it was coming soon. Bringing Thor back without powers would be leaving him weakened and open to an attack.

Bringing their brother straight into the arms of war, defenseless, was unacceptable.

Elysia pleaded for Sif to understand their position with her eyes, and to her immense relief Sif nodded in acquiesce. All she wanted was for Sif to understand that even though they couldn't fix everything right now, they would never give up on him.

Amidst the silence no one had noticed the look of contemplation that crossed Hogun's face. "Laufey said there were traitors in the house of Odin."

There was a chill that ran up Elysia's spine at what Hogun was suggesting and she missed the dark look that passed over Sif's sharp features. It was no secret that the two dark haired siblings didn't get along with the three males that Thor had claimed as friends. Despite their differences not once did Elysia think that they would ever come to question the love they held for their brother.

The thought incensed her. How _dare_ this outsider question the loyalty that bound the three of them together. Such a bond was not his to judge or put to the test.

"A master of magic could bring three Jotuns into Asgard."

Elysia blinked before she was in front of a surprised Hogun. In a move she had seen her father preform many times before, she reached out and grasped ahold of his throat before shoving him against the wall. She was so tired of people assuming the worst of Loki, so tired that happiness seemed to keep evading them on this day.

Hogun had no idea of the tears the two of them had shed over the unjustness of it all.

"I should cut your tongue from your mouth for even implying that Loki would betray Thor or I. He would never place the people he loves in danger. _Never_." She let go and watched with blank eyes as he stumbled on his feet. "If I ever hear such words come from you again, Thor will not be the only one who finds himself banished."

She swept out before she was tempted to turn around and finish the job. Thor was their brother, and that meant something to them. They would personally move the stars out of the sky for each other, and this time would be no different.

Watching Elysia tensely walk away had Sif aiming her sour look at Hogun. Did he not grasp how offensive his statement had come across? The Warriors Three didn't know Elysia or Loki well enough to make predictions about them, they'd barely even spent a day with the two.

While many on Asgard were happy to see that their princes and princess cared deeply about one another, few truly understood the connection between the three, and Sif was one of the lucky ones. She was honored that Loki and Elysia had accepted her into their hearts so readily. Perhaps she shouldn't have liked the claim that the royal children placed upon her all those centuries ago as much as she did, but their kind of ownership was not one to shy away from.

They gave her a sense of belonging, gave her people she could call home.

When the universe paired her with Thor, they weren't just giving her a soulmate, they were giving her a brother and sister as well.

Sif's voice may have been quiet, but the harshness of it filled the room. "Perhaps I don't say it enough, but I consider Loki and Elysia to be my family, and an insult to them is an insult to me. If you are the friends you claim to be you would know better than to ever even insinuate that they would be capable of betrayal to each other."

Sif waited a moment, wanting what she said next to truly sink in. "Thor loves his siblings more than anything in this world, more than me." There was the truth. Thor valued his siblings over his own soulmate. And that knowledge brought her no pain. She supposed that many would be jealous not to be the center of their soulmate's world, but Sif didn't see it that way at all.

A soulmate was someone who came into your life, who burrowed a way into your heart and made a home of it. A soulmate was designed to be an eternal companion, someone you can always count on, someone who strives to give you happiness.

A soulmate was not designed to take the place of the people in your life that you already cared about. A soulmate didn't make everyone else unimportant. They simply enhanced your life with more love, they didn't replace it.

Thor and Sif met when they were young, long before primary lessons even began. She had grown up with the royal children, seen their struggles firsthand. If anyone deserved all the love in the world it was the three of them. She would never do anything to diminish the amount they could find in this life.

"You got off easy because Elysia can be far too forgiving at times, and that is her burden to bear." Sif didn't care if these three men looked at her differently after this. "But make no mistake," She'd rather burn these bridges than the ones she had with Thor, Loki, and Elysia. "I will finish whatever it is that she cannot, and that includes you." With one last lingering glare, she slipped out to follow after the siblings.

Sif would fight to protect them from anything, even the ones they called friends, because she knew they'd do the same for her without a second thought.

That's what family did.

That's what love meant.

* * *

 _Find the senator. Kill the senator. Make sure there are no witnesses._

Winter's mission parameters were fairly simple this go around. The only aspect that might prove to be an issue was getting to the senator alone. Winter wasn't too keen on having to dispose of doctors and nurses who decided to stick around the room. He was also supposed to confirm that there was a briefcase among his personal items, but Hydra was sending in another team to actually confiscate it. Winter was more assassin than spy anyway.

Climbing through the cramped vents of the County Hospital was not something Winter particularly wanted to do, but it was hard to walk through a hallway with a metal arm and not attract attention, so up the vents it was. His long hair kept falling in his eyes as he maneuvered, but Winter remained unwilling to cut it.

There was no privacy in Winter's life. There were eyes on him constantly, cameras lined the walls of the small cell he called home. If he let his head hang, his hair would fall like a curtain around him, providing the smallest amount of space where he could allow the cold façade in his eyes to melt to reveal pain as his mind waged its daily war against him.

Hydra kept trying to instill their ideals in him, that they were shaping the world for the better, but Winter didn't care. All he knew was that he belonged to them and he did what they asked, no matter how bloody his hands got in the process. But there were times that it felt like his soul, something he thought had been burned out long ago, would scream at him and demand things he could never quite work out. There were holes in his mind that tried to stitch themselves back together, but the agony it caused had Winter shutting it down every time.

So he would leave his hair just long enough to cover his face, that way his handlers would never be able to search it for another reason to wipe him again.

"How dare you attack the son of Odin!"

Winter was pulled out of his musing by the loud commotion that broke out underneath him. The statement definitely captured Winter's attention and he made his way to the ceiling vent before looking down to see a large man in a hospital gown fighting off various doctors and security officers.

Winter might have been amused if it hadn't been for the sharp jolt that went through his body at the sight of him. It was the same kind of shock that he felt whenever his soulmate allowed him access to her emotions, only this was somewhat diluted in its intensity.

Caught off guard, Winter flung himself backwards, barely catching himself from slamming into the vent's wall and giving away his position. How in the ever-loving fuck was this possible? The urge to shoot himself in the foot to see if this was nothing more than a dream was high. Hoping that his soulmate was in New Mexico was just that, a hope, nothing more than wishful thinking.

Scrambling back to the opening of the vent, Winter gazed down at the man who was currently throwing people across the room as he fought to reach the door, trying to be absolutely sure that this blond man was the one he felt drawn to.

 _Guess Stevie was wrong, our mate might be a fella and not a doll._

Searing pain shot through Winter and he pressed his forehead to the cool metal of the vent, gritting his teeth against the pain as he tried to force that _goddamn fucking voice,_ which kept rearing its head, back into whatever crevice it continually tried to crawl out of. Winter watched through squinted eyes as a needle was shoved into the man's skin and he slumped over immediately.

The pain finally started fading once the security officers and doctors left the room after restraining the man onto one of the beds. When he was sure the coast was clear, Winter used his metal arm to rip the vent covering up before dropping down silently on the floor below.

This detour wasn't part of his mission, he was supposed to be checking to see if the senator was alone, but his feet refused to move any direction that wasn't near the unconscious man in front of him. Looking at him, there was no burst of warmth that often filled his chest when he thought about his soulmate, just a faint tugging in the pit of his stomach. This wasn't what Winter imagined it would feel like when he met his soulmate, but he couldn't think of any other logical reason why he would feel a connection to the man.

It was confusing but Winter wouldn't rest until he figured it out.

There was an incessant prodding in the back of his head and a feeling rose up in his chest. It wasn't something he ever remembered feeling before but attached to it was a heavy dose of nostalgia that he couldn't seem to shake. Protective instincts Winter thought long gone reappeared as he looked down at the golden-haired man.

He was compelled to reach out and loosen the restraints that were wrapped tightly around his wrists. Winter wouldn't undo them completely, that would leave far too much unwanted suspicion that would undoubtedly lead to questions, but he would give the man a chance to escape. He wanted to know what the man would do with the opportunity.

It took every inch of his willpower to stop him from taking a peek at the man's inner right wrist, wanting desperately to know if he would feel anything at the sight. But Winter mentally berated himself. That wasn't how it worked, there was no way to cheat when it came to soulmates, the words had to flow naturally or they wouldn't mean a thing. If this man was his soulmate then Winter wouldn't allow their bond to begin coated with deceit. His life was full of enough lies already.

No matter how much he fucking wanted to, Winter knew that if the words were going to come out of his mouth, they needed to be genuine and unprompted. This was the only thing he was willing to respect enough to play by its rules.

Casting one last look at the sleep induced man, Winter hoisted himself back up into the vents and settled in, all thoughts about completing his mission pushed aside until he uncovered what had drawn him to the man who claimed to be "the son of Odin", whatever that meant.

Had time been kinder to Winter he would have remembered exactly when he had felt this before, this primal urge to protect a stranger. The answer lied in a memory that had been burned out of him deep in the heart of an icy Russian winter, the ghost of a little girl with red hair faded into the wind.

That was why he didn't recognize the feeling of familial bonds when they snapped into place.

* * *

Elysia knew Sif was following behind her, knew that she should probably ensure that she didn't continue to follow her to Loki's destination, but the knowledge that Sif was family through her bond with Thor had urged Elysia to allow her closeness. Perhaps she would be able to help.

Elysia followed Loki's energy to the Vault, a place she would never truly feel comfortable around ever again, and knew it was only a matter of time before Odin would come. She entered through the side door that their father was unaware they held knowledge of, but kept her distance by waiting behind the wall, torn between wanting to give Loki his privacy and wanting him to be able to use her presence as a source of strength. When Sif hesitantly made her way through the same door, Elysia took hold of her hand and shifted so that they could both lean against the wall, remaining out of sight.

Sif didn't know why she had entered the Vault, knowing that unless Odin had allowed it such a thing was vastly improper, but her heart told her that she was needed here. She was shocked to see Elysia hiding, but she followed because that's what her dear friend wanted. When Odin entered through the main doors Sif unconsciously held her breath, gathering by Elysia's suddenly stiff posture that this confrontation would not be a peaceful one.

Sif may not have known what was said in their last family discussion, but she would stand beside Elysia and Loki regardless of their stance.

"Stop!"

Odin's voice rung out through the room, catching Sif off guard, but Elysia only had ears for the labored sound of Loki's breathing. It wasn't hard for her to guess what he was doing, all she prayed was that he would find the answers he sought after. She'd be there to help him deal with the consequences.

Loki held the Casket in his hands and wanted to recoil from the connection he felt towards it. He wished the evidence would stop pointing towards the one thing he wished wasn't true. "Am I cursed?" This was his last-ditch attempt at finding any other reason for his current affliction.

As per usual Odin would only reveal the bare minimum, "No."

Loki didn't understand why Odin couldn't be forthcoming, not even when it mattered the most. "What am I?" His voice was rough, thick due to tears he desperately held back. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever imagined that he would have to ask this question, never thought that three words could have the potential to throw his world into disarray.

"You're my son."

Elysia wasn't the only one whose teeth ground down at Odin's response. Even Sif could tell that the Allfather was doing all he could to avoid this topic.

At his vague reply, Loki looked down to see that his hands had once again turned blue, the color spreading up his arms. He wanted to scratch at this color until it detached itself from his skin. Loki placed the Casket back on its perch and turned to pin his father with a hard stare, "What more than that?" He didn't expect Odin to answer him, so he continued and made his way to where the older man was, having not moved from his position on the stairs. "The Casket wasn't the only thing you took from Jotunheim that day, was it?"

The tension in the room was high. Had Odin known that Elysia and Sif were right around the corner, listening to every word, he may not have been so candid. "No, it was not. In the aftermath of the battle I went into the temple and found a baby." Elysia's nails dug into the stone beneath her hands. "Small, for a Frost Giant's offspring. There it was, abandoned, suffering, left to die." The air was ripped from Sif's lungs. "Laufey's son."

There it was, the confirmation of withheld information.

Loki was gutted, feeling like he would be sick any moment. A sheen of tears coated his eyes as the very essence of who he was changed. He couldn't even look Odin in the face, and in complete disbelief the words fell from his lips, "Laufey's son?" Before he could stop it, his chest started heaving under an invisible weight. He didn't understand any of this, "Why? You were knee-deep in Jotun blood, why would you take me?"

Making eye contact with his struggling child, Odin told him the same thing he told himself every time he looked at Loki. "You were an innocent child."

Elysia didn't know who Odin was trying to convince more, Loki or himself.

On the same page with his sister, Loki shook his head, "No, you took me for a purpose. What was it?" There was no way in all the nine realms that Odin had done something like that out of the kindness of his heart, that wasn't in his nature.

But Odin remained silent, and with every passing second Loki's vexation grew. His life was crumbling right beneath his feet, he could practically feel his loved ones slipping away from him as his heritage was revealed. There had to be a purpose to this whole ruse, there had to be a reason his life was now falling apart. He needed there to be something. The angry plea sounded broken the moment it slipped out of him, " _Tell me!_ "

Elysia's heart ached at the sound of her brother's request. But there was no emotion on Odin's face, just a resignation that could be located through his tone. "I thought we could unite our kingdoms one day. Bring about and alliance, bring about permanent peace through you." There was a pause, as if he was determining whether or not to say it. "But those plans no longer matter."

It was like a slap in the face to be told that your existence was useless. And the tears that fell from Loki's eyes were a testament to it. "So am I no more than another stolen relic, locked up here until you might have use of me?" His tone grew hotter with each word, "Am I nothing more than the monster who you told stories about when we were children?"

Odin had the audacity to be exasperated by what Loki said, "Why do you twist my words?"

Sif silently scoffed and wondered why Odin would choose such awful words in the first place.

"You could have told me what I was from the beginning, why didn't you?"

Growing tired of being judged, Odin stared back at his son, a hardness in his eyes that didn't surprise Loki. "Do you not understand what I was sparing you from? Do you really think the people would accept Laufey's son sitting upon the throne of Asgard? I buried the truth to protect you! Everything I have done has been for your benefit."

Blow after blow rained down upon Loki and both girls longed to take him away from this. When he swallowed down another round of tears, his words came out no higher than a whimper as he looked up at the man he had called father his whole life. "But why lie to _me_ all this time? Why not tell me the truth?"

Odin's explanation caused an uproar within Elysia and Sif.

"If you knew where you came from, your true heritage, you would never find peace. You would spend the rest of your life always looking over your shoulder, waiting for the moment when someone would realize what you are."

Elysia had heard enough. She was tired of the lies. It seemed as though they were peeling back layer by layer with no end in sight. Her family was falling apart at the seams, their bonds being stretched to the point of breaking. But more than all that, it was the way Odin was once again twisting the situation that moved her to action.

Leaving Sif to stay behind the protection the wall provided, she stepped into the light. The soft sounds of her footsteps falling against the stone sent the two men reeling. Loki wasn't necessarily surprised that Elysia had followed him here, but the fact that she now knew without a doubt that he was indeed a monster behind this glamour, was a hard pill to swallow. If she hadn't flinched back from him in fear before surely she would now.

Odin hadn't seen his daughter since she had foretold a future filled with nothing but suffering awaiting him, and the calm indifferent mask that painted her face gave him no hint as to her current state of mind. He never imagined being estranged from all his children, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. Why couldn't they just do what they were told without questioning it? He opened his mouth to speak but was halted when Elysia breezed right past him without a single glance in his direction.

She positioned herself between the two and a dull ache spread through her as she took note of the similar stance she had taken earlier when it was Thor she was supposed to protect. But this time would be different. There was no Frigga here to stop her, no fear that she might hurt her mother in the process of trying to protect her brother.

No, this time she would rip apart anyone who tried to take Loki away from her, physically or mentally.

It took her a moment before she formulated her words, "And what was your intention when he discovered the truth? Because even you had to know that one day he would figure it out." Her head tilted to the side as she gave Odin a once over, as if she were trying to pry his true intentions from the depths of his mind. "Perhaps instead of seeing you as you really are, a manipulative liar who can't stand the sight of his own failures, he might be fooled into actually thinking you are his savior." Her words hit their target. Her tongue was like a well sharpened blade and she wielded it as though she were the Goddess of War herself. "Is that it? Was that your aim, _father_?" Elysia spat his title out as though it left a rotten taste in her mouth.

In hindsight she shouldn't have been shocked that he was once again trying to justify his actions, refusing to believe for even a second that he might have been the problem all along.

When Odin begun to breathe heavily and stumble backwards on the stairs, Elysia found that she couldn't be too concerned. In the back of her mind she knew what this was, she'd never seen it in person before, but she should have known that of all the times for him to fall into Odinsleep it would be in the middle of a confrontation he was losing.

However she was confused when he reached out to her and Loki.

Elysia stared down at his outstretched hand in detached contemplation. Regardless of what he had done, she couldn't help but hold onto a modicum of love for the man who had taken her in and raised her as his own. He had proven that he could tear them apart and yet she still wasn't sure if she could ever be capable of completely despising him. The heart was truly a treacherous organ. You could wish a person dead for what they'd done, and yet your heart would still cry out for mercy.

Maybe that was why she couldn't completely hate him, because the only thing Elysia actually hated was the man that Odin had become, not the one from her early memories.

She missed the Odin who danced across the throne room with Frigga in his arms, spinning her around to music that only they could hear. The one who would act out their bedtime stories, using his words to create a world that they could see in their minds. She missed the man who made her believe she was strong enough to reach out and touch the stars.

But that man had been overshadowed by bitterness and greed, had allowed his ego to fuel his fire. Elysia could never stand beside a man like that, could never condone any actions born of such a mix.

That was why she made no move towards him. Loki, although worried, was content to remain close behind his sister, the one who had yet to deceive or harm him.

It would have been so easy for her to reach out and take Odin's hand, to provide him with the comfort he was so obviously longing for, but she wouldn't. Elysia's hands refused to move towards the man who had caused her so much grief. She remained a silent bystander as their father slumped over, his eyes closing as he faded into unconsciousness.

Elysia didn't know which was more concerning, the fact that Odin may never wake again, or that there was a part of her that didn't want him to.

Looking down at the man who had always seemed larger than life, a disbelieving scoff escaped her lips. For the first time Elysia realized that not even he was untouchable to what fate decided. He was King of Gods and Goddesses and yet his soul did not outshine a single one of them.

Both siblings were pulled from their reverie when Sif decided to make herself known. She didn't know if she should give the siblings space or if they would even allow her near at the moment. The horrified look that crossed Loki's face at the sight of her was the deciding factor. She quickly made her way down the stairs, her hair whipping side to side, as she stepped around Odin's body and without hesitation, she pulled Elysia and Loki into a tight embrace.

Yes, finding out that Loki was Laufey's son was a shock, one she never saw coming, but that didn't change who he was at his core. He was still the same boy she played with during their lessons, still the same boy who helped provide her with excuses to be around Thor, still the same boy who was one of the first people to tell her that she'd make the fiercest warrior Asgard had ever seen. Loki was still the same boy she called family. And when love was genuine it couldn't be torn apart by anything, not even by the realization that he was the birth son of their enemy.

Elysia and Loki melted into Sif's arms, holding onto the comfort she gave with everything they had. Getting their father help could wait a few minutes.

Sif would never know how much she helped Loki just by simply accepting him.

* * *

AN: Okay serious question for you guys, because I need your thoughts: Hela. I'm really feeling a sibling vibe between the four of them that could be totally kickass, or I could just stick to cannon. Please let me know what you guys think!


	13. Chapter 13

AN: Sorry this is so late, this quarter was a legit nightmare and I'm in the middle of switching programs so it just feels like I'm drowning in homework. Add to that the fact that my family and I are in the middle of selling our house and moving, so the next couple months won't have an update schedule at all. I'm sorry for that but until we're in our new house I won't be able to stick to a schedule. Also, in no way, shape, or form am I abandoning this story.

I wanted to thank everyone for their kind comments and for sharing their opinions on Hela, I really appreciate it!

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Everything's Changing**

The three continued to hold onto one another, ignoring the hole in their hearts at the absence of Thor. It felt like one of those aches that settles into your bones, always there and utterly unfixable. Elysia knew that Sif had to be in pain with her soulmate so far from her reach, but she couldn't help but feel like her and Loki's pain was far worse. That might have been selfish of her, but the three of them had been together for over a millennium, the oldest bond any of them had.

Elysia would never voice such thoughts, knowing that she didn't have the ability to make it sound empathetic.

Detangling herself from her distraught brother, Elysia let her pseudo sister continue to comfort him while she walked past the limp body of their _father_ and through the main doors. They could no longer put off getting help. As it was there would be too many questions about Odin's current state and Elysia really wasn't feeling up to answering them. All she wanted was to go back in time before each of them had become fractured versions of themselves.

She quickly plastered on a concerned look and rushed towards the guards, because if she didn't look at least the slightest bit distressed at Odin's affliction then some flags would be certainly raised, and the last thing Asgard needed was its people finally realizing just how divided the royal family had become.

"Help! Please help!" At the sound of her panicked cries the guards snapped to attention and rushed towards her. "My father-" Her voice purposefully broke as she pointed in the direction of the vault and ushered them towards the room. Perhaps it was wrong of her to play into the theatrics so much, but better safe than sorry. Only Loki, Sif, or Odin himself would know the truth of what occurred in that room, and the only one that posed a risk was now incapable of speaking.

When she burst through the doors with the guards hot on her heels, Loki was taken aback by the tears trailing down her cheeks. After the way she had stared down at their father, he was sure that there would be no mourning in her heart.

Not that he would blame her. He couldn't even if he tried, not when his own heart had sung with joyous relief when Odin fell unconscious. A feeling that had been very brief upon realizing that Sif had been there the whole time.

But he should have known better than to underestimate his brother's soulmate.

Sif held a love for all of them, one that was reciprocated on their ends, that was almost as strong as the bond between himself and his siblings. She had been there for most of the highs and lows, therefore it only made sense that she be here for this one as well.

When the four of them were together Loki found it humorous that Thor was essentially a bright spot amongst a sea of black hair. It was another thing that made Sif fit in so easily with them.

He still clung to Sif's hand as the guards immediately moved to their King's side. There was a blur of activity after that, people rushing in to cart Odin off, healers seemingly pouring in from every corner. Loki watched as his little sister took control and weaved a story about their father's condition.

 _The stress of Thor's banishment_ , she had said, _his poor heart couldn't take it_.

Sif had to stifle her snicker at that and he wasn't doing much better at hiding his own. Elysia had turned and shot them both a grin for their efforts, the sheen in her eyes completely missing now, and Loki realized that earlier had been nothing more than a farce.

He ignored the happiness that he felt at the knowledge that they thought him more important. Neither Sif nor Elysia had been concerned with anything other than him.

Their warmth was pushing away the cold from his father's words. Well it pushed away most.

There was only one thing their love couldn't erase from his mind.

Would his people be okay with Laufey's son sitting upon the throne? Or would he truly never find peace, always looking over his shoulder in fear they would learn the truth?

Was he still allowed to call them his people?

 _Was he still allowed to call them his family?_

He clutched onto Sif tighter and sought out Elysia's hand, his hold on both girls far tighter than usual, not that either minded. He'd never give up these people. His mother, Sif, Elysia, Thor, his soulmate, all of them were his.

His heritage could never undo that claim.

* * *

As his children, Loki and Elysia were expected to remain by Frigga's side as Eir updated them about Odin's health. Neither wanted to, but it would raise attention if they stayed away. It hadn't yet crossed their minds that one would need to take control of the throne while their father lay comatose.

Both had been raised to understand that Thor would be the next Allfather, there had never been a scenario where he didn't take up that mantle.

One day they would all look back on that and wonder how it hadn't torn them apart. But for now they were simply content that it never did.

"I asked him to be honest with you from the beginning. There should be no secrets in a family."

Frigga's soft admission did little to soothe them. It was a truth spoken centuries too late. Elysia resisted the urge to tell her mother that they hadn't been a proper family for quite some time now. What she didn't know was that Odin wasn't the only parent who held a series of secrets.

Frigga longed to tell her children about their eldest sister. Her precious darling with midnight locks who had obstinacy coursing through her veins. Her brave daughter that rode into battle without a second thought, her only goal to protect what her father bled to create.

Her daughter, the one who lost her way.

Her daughter, whose parents had failed her.

Because taking up the title of Goddess of Death should have been a warning and not something to be easily dismissed or encouraged.

There were nights where Frigga was consumed with thoughts of her Hela. She remembered the little girl who was attached to her parents' hips, always wishing for a sibling she could play with. The possibilities and what ifs tortured her. Hela would have taught Thor how to wield a sword, never would she have let anyone else take over that teaching position. She would have welcomed Loki and Elysia into the family with an open heart, because she knew all too well what being an outcast felt like. She would have readily encouraged Loki's tricks, would have become his biggest advocate. Hela would have ensured that her little sister knew exactly how strong she was, insecurity wouldn't be an emotion she'd let fester in any of them, but most importantly in Elysia. Because once again, Hela knew what it was like to be underestimated and underappreciated because of her gender.

But those dreams would never come to pass and Frigga often wept over the lost opportunities. She longed to tell her children about their eldest sister who would have cherished them each in her own unique way. Because in the end, under it all, Hela was a protector down to her very core. The only thing that set her apart from others was her ruthlessness.

But Odin had forbidden any talk of the daughter he had cast away and imprisoned. And the memory of her had faded as the war for the nine realms killed more and more. By the time Asgard was established, Hela was nothing more than a whispered name parents used in nighttime stories.

"So why did he lie?"

Loki was unaware of the haunted look in his mother's eyes, he was too occupied with staring at his father, a man who had never looked so old before. It was easier to speak freely about such matters when it was only his mother and sister in the room to hear them. Elysia stood firmly by his side and Frigga had a way of putting her children at ease in a manner that Odin either didn't possess or simply didn't care give.

"He kept the truth from you so that you would never feel different." Her eyes pleaded with him to understand, "You are our son Loki, and we your family. You must know that."

To some extent he did know that. Elysia and Sif had ensured he'd known that.

"You can speak to him. He can see and hear us, even now."

And with that, Loki felt himself shift back inside his shell, a carefully placed blank mask adorning his features. The reminder that there was no place to hide from their father felt more like shackles than peace of mind, "How long will it last?" His tone was curt, and although his mother didn't deserve it, he had neither the strength nor energy to conceal it.

Frigga shook her head sadly and Elysia reached out to lay a comforting hand on Loki's shoulder, "I don't know, this time it's different. We were unprepared."

The siblings continued to gaze at Odin's prone form, and although Loki spoke, it was as though he had pulled the words directly from his sister's mind. "I'll never get used to seeing him like this. The most powerful being in the nine realms, lying helpless until his body is restored."

"He's put it off for so long now that I fear..." She reached out and took ahold of her soulmate's hand. There was a brief moment where Elysia pitied her mother, having to see her mate in such a poor state of health, but that moment quickly passed as she remembered what he had told Loki down in the vault.

"You're a good son," she addressed Loki first before looking up at her daughter, "I couldn't ask for better children. We mustn't lose hope that your father will return to us, and your brother."

Elysia and Loki cared little for Odin, but they would drag their brother back if it came down to it. They didn't need hope. Hope was for people who sat around and waited on luck to come to them. They would never sit around and wait for Thor to find his way home.

They'd rip the stars from the sky and use them to pave a path specifically for him to cross if that's what it took.

It had nothing to do with hope.

Restlessness prodded at Loki and he stood in an effort to shake it off. Coincidentally the doors opened wide the same moment he stood. Both Elysia and Loki's gazes swung towards the entrance to see and array of guards while Sif stood off to the side.

Terror unlike any he'd ever felt before, shot through him at the thought that they had figured it out somehow and were here to drag him away and throw him in a cell. However he wasn't expecting them to instantly kneel, fists raised against their hearts.

Behind him, Elysia settled down upon the realization that there was no threat.

One of Odin's advisors swept into the room and kneeled, his arms stretched out towards Loki, in his grip was Odin's staff.

Both siblings froze. They had completely forgotten that at the current moment no one sat upon the throne. However Loki couldn't move forward to grab it. They had been taught most of their lives that this staff, the throne, Asgard itself, was Thor's. Neither Loki nor Elysia wanted what was rightfully their brother's.

Loki turned to Frigga with confusion etched in the lines of his face. Surely she would have reservations on this matter.

"Thor is banished. The line of succession falls to you until Odin awakens, Asgard is now yours."

Loki's first instinct was to throw the staff away from him as though it were on fire. He didn't want the throne, he never really had. All he ever wanted was to stand by his siblings' sides while going on the adventures he dreamed about in his youth.

But he took the staff. He took the thing that signified his father's power into his hands and shuddered. He took it because maybe he could reverse things, maybe he could have the power to make things right. He thought back to that blinding moment of fear when the guards were revealed, those moments would only continue to occur until the root of the problem was eradicated.

Maybe with this staff, this throne, he would have the power to secure self-peace before handing it back to Thor.

"Make your father proud my King."

Elysia couldn't contain her snort if she tried. That line might have worked on Thor, seeing as he had placed Odin on a pedestal for so long, but Loki and her had long since stopped trying to make that man proud of them. The version of them that he could find pride in, was not the version of themselves that they wanted to be.

She ignored Frigga saddened glance as she waved off the guards and advisor while nodding to Sif to let her know that all was handled. Elysia waited till Loki wandered back to her side before pinning him with a look of confusion. She had seen that brief look of sudden determination once he took that staff and she wanted to know what it was about.

"We are now at war with Jotunheim."

Those were the words she hadn't wanted to hear. On one hand, she knew it would probably come to pass, however she had figured it'd be Laufey who made the declaration.

Seeing the lost look in her eyes, Loki gently took her hands in his, trying his best to convey the desperation within him. "Sister I can't rest until I know the Jotuns are wiped off the face of this realm. Father may be an egotistical tyrant, but he was right about one thing. I'll never know peace until there's no threat of them finding out what I really am."

She understood, she really did. Loki wanted peace, and she wouldn't condemn him for that. The only thing that brought her any comfort was the fact that Laufey was going to be coming for her. He wanted revenge, it would be the only thing he'd think about, and she was the target. It was better her than anyone else.

A small part of her was even relieved that his focal point wasn't Odin. Yes, she often spoke of how better off they would all be without his shadow cast over them, but that didn't mean she knew how to live without his presence in her life. He'd been there from her birth; he played the role of father and teacher for hundreds of years. She wanted to be rid of him but at the same time she wasn't sure she'd be able to take it if she was.

At least if Laufey did succeed in killing her she'd die with the knowledge that she made him suffer the same way he made her Mama suffer. Laufey knew true pain and it had been by her hand. She couldn't bring herself to regret that.

Satisfied that his sister understood, Loki released her left the room in search of his father's advisor, he had much to do if he wanted to put his plan into motion swiftly.

Elysia watched him leave with clenched fists. Her whispered response didn't reach his ears, "You're our brother Loki, that's all you are, that's all that's ever mattered."

How unfair life had been that Loki now believed he must look over his shoulder for the rest of his days.

She turned to stare down at Odin, a feeling as close to hatred as she could feel for the man who took her in, burned through her veins once more as she replayed Loki's words. Here he laid, not a care in the world, completely unaware of the havoc his revelation had caused in his youngest son.

Aware that her mother was watching, Elysia was limited as to what she could do. Frigga hated when they fought, they often tried to avoid it so as not to upset their gentle and loving mother, but this was so different. Odin was tearing their family apart; this wasn't just a simple disagreement of views anymore.

Elysia wanted to comfort her mother but as though it were a phantom pain, the remnants of green magic still burned her skin. She couldn't forget how the woman had stood there and let their father banish Thor. He had ripped her son from her while she stood and held her daughter back. Elysia didn't understand how Frigga could choose not to acknowledge that.

She wanted her mother to rage the same way her and Loki had.

She wanted her mother to condemn her husband for his actions.

Elysia wanted Frigga to break Odin's heart in a way that only a soulmate could.

But she knew her mother wouldn't.

Frigga, the Goddess of Love, could never be intentionally cruel.

A shameful part of Elysia, the part of herself she hated and hid, thought her mother weak for the forgiveness she bestowed upon Odin time and time again. She ignored the voice in the back of her head that asked what she would do if it were her soulmate instead.

She ignored it because she didn't have to think about that possibility. Her soulmate would never make her choose between him and family, because her family would become his as well. Her soulmate would never hurt her and claim it necessary under the mantle of duty. And she knew in her heart, in the same way she knew every inch of her brothers' souls, that her mate would cherish whatever children they may have in the same way she would.

Their sons or daughters would never believe they'd have to start a war in order to gain their father's love and pride.

Their second nature would never be to flinch back whenever they heard their father's raised voice.

Their self-worth would never be battered by the man who raised them.

Most importantly, her children would never have to fear their own father.

As Elysia leaned as close as she could to Odin's prone form, her features twisted up in spite, "Long live the King." Wrenching herself upwards, Elysia quickly fled the room, her emotions running rampant. The taunt string that tied her to the energy had awoken as though it was suddenly a live wire.

She had to get out of this small room that stifled the air in her lungs. She needed to be alone, somewhere she could be free to expel the foreign darkness in her heart that was quickly becoming something she could claim as her own.

Elysia did find the poetic justice in the recent development. Loki was King now, something they now knew Odin never wanted, a situation he had tried so hard to prevent. At times it had even felt as though he pitted them against each other in order to create a wedge between the three of them.

But their bond was the purest thing about them. Odin could never hope to manipulate it for his own selfish purposes, they'd rather die than stand against one another.

So Elysia hoped her father had heard what she said, had recognized the meaning behind it. By falling into Odinsleep, he had given up his iron grip on the throne for the time being.

Odin's word was no longer law; thus his banishment decree was no longer in effect. It may have sounded callous, but this put the dark-haired siblings one step closer in bringing back their older brother.

Not that they really needed it though. Odin awake or asleep would never stop Loki and Elysia from finding a way around him eventually. They didn't see it as treason the way others might. After all, their loyalty had never truly lied with him in the first place.

Their father had once taught them about the importance of family, something they now no longer considered him to be.

* * *

Thor awoke confused and agitated. As consciousness ebbed at him, the events of the past day came rushing back.

His father had truly picked the worst place to send him, these Midgardians were clearly savages, not showing an ounce of respect. His ire only grew when he realized his limbs had been restrained.

How dare these little insignificant Midgardians treat him as though he were no more than a common prisoner. He was Thor Odinson, first in line for the throne of Asgard, eldest prince of the nine realms, God of Thunder, and he would not be _tied down_.

Thor thought these people stupid when it became evident that the binds were loose enough that he could slip out with minimal effort. Gods above he'd be happy once he got out of this realm.

There was a brief moment where he was grateful that it was him in this position rather than his siblings. The thought of these people treating his little brother and sister the way they did him raised his hackles.

He'd burn this realm to _ash_ if they tried.

Thor knew the two of them wouldn't give up on him, he just hoped they'd avoid their father's anger in their endeavors. The last thing any of them needed was another one of them condemned down here. But he was conflicted because at the same time he wanted his siblings with him since Asgard was no longer safe with Laufey on a warpath.

On his way out of the strange building, he avoided all signs of life. Not because he was afraid they would capture him again, but simply because he didn't feel like fighting them all off. He had just made it outside, taking a brief moment to take in the view now that it was light, and decided to trek his way back to where he had been thrown to. Surely Heimdall would respond to him now that some time had passed.

There were these large metal contraptions every which way he turned, had he not been in a hurry he probably would have inspected them closely, but his only aim was to get as far away as possible from this place.

He should've been keeping a better eye out, because as soon as he looked back to see how much distance he had put between him and the building, he was knocked clean off his feet as one of those contraptions rammed into him.

His head throbbed as it once again slammed against the ground. Darkness beckoned him once more as a soft voice rung out.

"I'm so sorry! I swear I'm not doing this on purpose."

* * *

Needless to say, Winter hadn't planned on killing the senator.

A first for him in all honesty. Disobeying a handler's direct order wasn't something Winter ever dared do, the consequences were always far too high.

Well, until now that was.

Keeping the senator alive meant prolonging the mission, which would give him more time to work out the mystery behind the blond-haired man. Anything concerning his soulmate would always take priority to Winter. He'd gladly strap himself to the device which lit his brain up, the same device that stole away any hint of identity he tried to dig up, if that's what his mate wanted. He'd do whatever they wanted, so long as it would keep them from leaving.

Winter wasn't naïve, he knew he didn't have anything to offer besides the promise of protection and the entirety of his heart, yet he still hoped it would somehow be enough.

He just had to find them first, and that man was the closest he'd ever gotten before.

He wouldn't let the opportunity slip through his fingers.

Besides, his first objective was to bring his soulmate back to base with him once located. Surely his actions could be justified using that reasoning.

The senator's life was merely a means to an end as far as Winter was concerned. All he had to do was come up with a logical reason as to why the mission hadn't been completed yet.

At least that was the plan, until Rumlow had made contact with new information and a different set of orders.

Apparently something had fallen out of the sky, the idea of it all might have fascinated Winter if Hydra hadn't taught him over the years that fascination wasn't something he was allowed, and his handler had made a new decision.

Alexander Pierce wanted eyes on anything involving the foreign object, some sort of hammer, and he wanted his best weapon on site. There had been sparse talk about someone named Fury getting involved in things that didn't concern him. Of course that was just talk, and Winter dismissed it the moment he overheard it.

Recon only this time around. That voice in the back of his head always breathed a little easier whenever the extent of his requirements only included a bit of spying. Lately Winter felt more assassin than spy, and today was no different.

 _Mission: Kill the senator._

Thirty seconds and a single bullet was all it took. It was nothing personal, it's just that Winter no longer needed him alive. The old man had never seen him coming, and perhaps that in itself was a mercy.

 _Mission: Complete._

It mattered not to Winter, this new development just meant that he'd have a legitimate reason to stay in New Mexico. For the first time since he could remember, which wasn't saying much because he didn't remember most things, Winter saw something beyond the objective.

He watched through narrowed eyes as two small females and an average looking male loaded the limp body of his current fixation into a vehicle, the brim of his hat providing coverage for his face. The three remained unaware that he was watching them, just the way Winter wanted it.

He briefly entertained the thought of simply killing the three, because in all honesty it looked more like they were kidnapping his blond man rather than helping him, but his mark burned sharply as soon as the thought passed. And while he didn't understand why it had done that, he wasn't going to question it.

The civilians were safe for now, something that would swiftly change if they hurt the man. His mark remained silent and Winter took it for agreement.

 _Mission: Follow and identify this 'son of Odin'._

Winter faded back into the shadows, the darkness embracing him as it always did, and followed after the van that peeled out of the hospital parking lot.

 _Mission: Find mate._

* * *

Elysia didn't stop running until she found herself completely surrounded by the woods. She had avoided the city and all her people, avoided the Bifrost and Heimdall's kind smile and wise words. She had run away from Loki and Sif with their understanding tones and comforting arms. She had even fled from her mother's garden, a place encased with only peace and beauty.

Elysia didn't stop until her heartbeat was the only sound that filled her ears and the frigid wind was the only sensation upon her skin.

Tears burned in her eyes as helplessness clawed its way up her throat. She cursed herself for not being stronger, for not stopping Thor's banishment or Odin's harsh words before they could burrow into Loki's heart.

Her father's threats and truths replayed in her mind like an old story and the rage grew. Her world was falling apart and she couldn't pick up the pieces fast enough. For the life of her Elysia couldn't figure out how everything had become so broken. She knew there were cracks, some larger than others, but now everything was busted wide open and she didn't know where to look first.

Her palms grew warm and the air around seemed to shift away from her. If she was supposed to be so powerful, then why couldn't she protect everything she held dear? Her breathing grew labored as that tether inside continued to shift, aching for any kind of reprieve.

 _Her eldest brother and his blindingly bright smiles._

Eyes closed, she lifted her face towards the clear sky.

 _He had been ripped from her fingertips._

The trees groaned as their tips bent closer to her, blocking any light as they came together to form a cradle that engulfed her.

 _Asta and Gunnar, a young couple who had the world laid out at their feet._

Frigga, who had followed in concern, now took a step back from the sight of her daughter. It mattered not that she was already at a safe distance.

 _Fate hadn't seen fit to let her know them._

Long black tresses flitted from her shoulders as though one with the wind, flowing around Elysia in a dark halo.

 _That healer, that nameless and brave girl, whose only aim had been to help comfort the small princess._

Gold tinted her skin while animated wisps coming up to gently caress the skin of her cheekbones with the familiarity of an old friend.

 _That girl's death found its home in her hands._

Those same soft wisps shot out from her like daggers, and the ring of crooked trees surrounding her were sent flying.

The ability to breathe finally came back to her as the tether firmly snapped back into the place it had carved out for itself all those years ago.

* * *

Clint Barton had been on the receiving end of a fair amount of death glares, but even he had to admit, the one Fury was currently pinning him with may very well have topped them all.

Well it might have, but Clint knew there wasn't any real heat behind it. However he wouldn't tell the older man that he could easily pick up on the fond exasperation, because god help him if he ever tried to point out the extent to which Fury cared.

A lot, in case anyone was wondering. Nicholas J. Fury cared _a lot_.

Fury eyed the two figures standing in his office, both looked worse for wear, but their eyes held a lightness he hadn't expected to see. Casting a long glance at the woman by Barton's side, Fury felt like banging his head against the wall, "This wasn't your mission."

Anyone else would've been shitting bricks at his tone, and to be honest it was a little insulting when Barton's natural response was to smirk back at him. Fury knew he should've been harder on the little shithead. Maybe then he'd actually show some respect.

Heaving out a sigh, Fury waited for the explanation to this massive clusterfuck.

"I told you I'd find her," Clint swung an arm over the girl's shoulders and grinned, white teeth on full display, "never said I'd kill her."

Beside him the red head's lips curled, making her split lip all the more prominent, and in that moment Fury knew he was fucked.

Great, now there were two of them. Just what he needed.

Pointing a finger at him, Fury leveled Clint with a stern expression, "If you're going to do this, she's your responsibility. I don't need this coming back to bite me in the ass."

Being the typical smartass that he was, Clint gave him a two fingered salute before turning to begin leading the girl out of his office. Fury was thankful for small mercies, having to tell Hill he caved was already going to be embarrassing enough, he didn't need Barton rubbing it in.

Hand poised on the side of the door, the red head paused before she could cross the threshold of the room. There was a brief internal struggle that crossed her face before she was able to smooth her features out once more. Turning, she locked eyes with him, Fury was taken aback by the gratitude that swirled in them. "Thank you," she whispered softly.

 _Goddamn it._

"Don't let me down kid."

His gruff response was rewarded with a wicked grin and the sound Clint's booming laughter from around the corner.

This job was going to be the death of him.

Especially if Barton kept bringing home strays.

Fury waited till the late afternoon, when his only witness would be the fading sun, before he burned the kill order for one Natalia Romanova. He could only pray he'd made the right choice.

* * *

AN: Yes I know that _technically_ Natasha and Clint already met, however I did warn you a couple chapters ago that there would be things I was going to change. This is one of them. The bond the two have won't be affected, I'm simply altering their timeline a bit to fit the purpose of this story a little better.

Also cause I'm a trash human being: There's now a Tumblr for all my stories where I'll post trash about them. One of my friends actually started it with me recently and then I realized I had a fun time doing it, so if you wanna check it out that would be deeply appreciated (I'll put the actual link in my bio and you'll get to see who I pictured as Elysia). Love you all!

Tumblr: my-inkstained-heart

 _UnknownReaderHasJoined:_ Bucky and Thor hanging out, being best friends/pseudo brothers? Oh for sure! I'm all about the family love and bonding over here. Yeah, Odin's pretty much just an all around dick for the entirety of my story. And sister!Hela vibes are giving me life.

 _akagami hime chan:_ I agree, there's so much potential for Hela. I'm so glad you like Sif, she plays such a big role here and she's just so precious.

 _NotRob:_ Thanks so much for your kind words! As important as soulmates are, I have always had a thing for family bonding. So in this story family is a big feature.

 _Eldera42:_ Oh my god, you're so sweet! It's cause of people like you, who enjoy and comment, that I even have the courage to post my stories. I can't tell you all how much I appreciate it!

 _Futago no Akuma Shimai:_ I'm so glad that you liked Natasha's chapter and Winter's parts, I always have the hardest time with him cause all I want to write is happy Bucky instead. I typically do have an updating schedule and try to do a chapter every week but with the current chaos in my life, that schedule has been put on hold.

 _Nicolette:_ Sorry for the confusion, I try to have that little voice in the back of Winter's head be Bucky. Even though they are one person, I sometimes refer to the two as different people for a distinction. And I might as well say it cause it's tagged on ao3 already, but Steve and Natasha are soulmates.

 _Oly E:_ I'm so glad you like the story! Don't worry, your words came across just fine. It's nice to meet you!


	14. Chapter 14

AN: So, I recognize that this chapter is very short and I explain why after the chapter. Thank you all who've continued to stick with me and this story.

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Hidden Forces**

It wasn't the thundering sound of bark hitting bark or the echoes of the ground shaking that snapped Elysia back to the moment. No, what brought her back was something far worse. A whimper, a small and strangled whimper.

Her eyes popped open and narrowed in the direction of the keening sound. She rushed towards it, fearing the worst, completely unaware that her mother did the same. All Elysia could think about was that she had somehow injured one of her people, the thought of it incited panic in her chest.

She hadn't meant to lose control, but she had prepared for it by isolating herself, that's why she chose the forest in the first place. But even she had no idea the damage she was capable of causing. She deftly made her way through the twisted mess she had made of the forest, ducking under debris and leaping over large upturned roots.

Elysia halted in her tracks when she came across the source of the mewling.

A foal.

A young horse, who couldn't be more than a few months old, lay impaled by a branch from one of the trees she'd sent flying.

This time the resounding whimper was ripped from her lips instead of the foal's. Elysia's knees gave out when the repercussions of what she had done stared her in the face. Her hands shook as she reached out to lay a hand on its head, her heart breaking further when it let out a louder cry at the sight of her.

"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry little one," Elysia's voice came out raspy as she let her tears fall down her cheeks. She had done this, lost control and hurt something precious. The foal's eyes were wide with pain and its breathing labored as apologies continued to pour out from her horrified lips.

Frigga was silent as she observed her grieving daughter. Her heart wept for her child as she watched her lean forward to place the foal's head in her lap with quivering fingers. She longed to reach out but feared she had already caused too much damage in the past day. Her daughter made it clear that she was displeased, and now was no time to provoke or startle her.

Elysia, on the other hand, continued to take no note of her mother. She stroked the foal's head in an effort to calm it, though it seemed to have little effect. Feeling helpless, Elysia did the only thing she could think of, "Lo, there do I see my father."

The animal began to quiet as her soft voice rung out and a bittersweet surge of hope rushed through her when she realized the hymn was working. "Lo, there do I see my mother, and my brothers and my sisters."

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, this foal would soon bleed out. As much as she may have wanted to deny it, the harsh truth would not be ignored. So there were only two things Elysia could do. She could continue doing all she could to soothe the young one to ensure its last moments weren't full of fear and suffering, or she could let horror and self-hatred win over and stop the steady stream of words flowing from her.

But for her, there was really only one choice she could make.

"Lo, there do I see the line of my people back to the beginning. Lo, they do call me."

It was a prayer for the dead, typically meant as a warrior's send-off, but this animal had suffered by her hand and she would deliver it into the arms of the Valkryie with the highest of regards. It was the very least she could do. "They bid me take my place among them in the halls of Valhalla where thine enemies have been vanquished," Elysia's voice cracked as she continued the fight seemed to drain from the foal's eyes.

"Where the brave shall live forever," tears steadily poured down her cheeks and she choked back a vicious sob as the foal's eyelids slowly slid closed and its body stilled with its last breath. Feeling as though someone was crushing her heart in their bare hands, Elysia leaned down until her forehead nudged against that of the foal's and the last of the prayer tumbled forth in a broken whisper.

"Nor shall we mourn but rejoice for those that have died the glorious death."

Guilt ate at her, rose up in order to consume every crevice within her. How many innocents would have to suffer over her lack of control?

How many lives would these hands of hers take?

First, the young healer whose soul she had stolen and now this baby foal who never stood a chance against her blind ire.

She pressed closer to the animal's body and longed to return to the days of her own youth. The days where her biggest concern had been about what kind of Princess she'd turn out to be. If only her people could see her now; this unholy mess.

Out of the corner of her eye the bracelet that branded her wrist caught her attention. Unadulterated fury warmed her blood as she imagined tearing the accessory from her skin. She knew very well that all she was would be torn apart without the interference the bracelet provided. But in this moment that was all she wanted; to simply not exist anymore.

The power she could feel constantly buzzing just underneath her fingertips was never supposed to exist.

As if the atmosphere around her could sense the rise in emotions, the air shifted, which simultaneously acted as a warning. The hands Elysia was glaring at fiercely began softly glowing once more. Panic overtook rage in an instant and she nearly screamed as a familiar feeling washed over her.

"No! No, please."

Elysia wasn't accustomed to pleading, although recently she'd felt as though she'd gotten pretty good at it. She found the warm heat unpleasant against her skin, fully knowing what it was capable of.

"Please take this from me, I don't want it anymore."

She prayed someone was listening, prayed those cursed stones could hear her plea. Whatever they thought her capable of, they were wrong. She wasn't anything special, she wasn't strong or brave.

She was simply tired and in pain.

To her utter horror and confusion, the glow in her palms began to spread along the foal's still body. Usually there was a tugging on her part, the feeling of her pulling energy towards her, but this was different.

Elysia remembered gripping that Frost Giant's face between her fingers; seeing the energy of his soul and bringing it to her own body. But somehow this was almost like the complete opposite. It was as if she was pouring light into the foal. Before she could continue to try and figure out what was happening, her hands grew brighter and brighter until she had no choice but to turn her face away lest the light blind her.

When the brightness faded and her hands no longer felt like they contained the sun, Elysia cautiously opened her eyes only to find soft brown irises peering back at her.

* * *

Elysia went stiff as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over her. All she could do was stare as the foal gently nudged its wet nose along her cheek before slowly rising to its feet. The foal stood on shaky legs, seemingly pausing to gaze back in order to bow its head towards her, before it scampered deeper into the forest.

There wasn't much that could render Elysia silent, but this moment was one of them. For the first time in her life, Elysia didn't have an idea about what to do. The foal had died, of that she was sure. She had felt the beat of its heart cease beneath her fingers, that wasn't something she had imagined. Her head spun as she was left kneeling in the dirt.

Resurrection wasn't real.

Magic was an age-old argument raging throughout the universe that was mainly dependent upon faith or belief. Those who didn't believe called Frigga a witch, but her people believed in their Queen and magic was readily accepted in their realm. However, it was known throughout every realm and even time itself that bringing true life back to the dead was impossible.

Not even Odin himself could restore what death decided to claim.

Similarly, Frigga herself was having a hard time believing what she had just seen. There was no doubt in her mind that what had happened did not adhere to the laws of nature. A large part of her had been frightened of her child in that moment, frightened of what the stone had turned her daughter into.

Energy manipulation was one thing, but to be able to change the course of destiny was something else.

But as swiftly as the fear crept upon her, she shoved it away. Frigga had no right to fear her daughter for something she had no control over, which was evident by the way Elysia was still rendered immobile. But the question remained; could their people also look past this new development? For Elysia's own safety the majority of Asgard was still unaware of her abilities, the rate at which word spread amongst the realms was unsettling to say the least.

She hated the idea of having to tell her daughter that she would once again have to hide a piece of her away, but sacrifice was a price of life. And the ramifications of this coming to light were far too great. Especially if the man who sat upon the throne were to ever discover it.

 _He can never know._

Chills ran up her spine at the mere thought of it. Odin could never find out what their daughter was becoming capable of. The things he would force her to do, the wars he could wage if he became unburdened by his own mortality. Endless possibilities unraveled in Frigga's mind, much to her horror.

She loved her husband, but she feared him as well.

Often her soulmate could be blinded by power, she had seen a time when he would have done anything for it, a time when he _had_ done horrible things for it.

Frigga would not lose another daughter to Odin's greed.

The Queen summoned every ounce of confidence she held and approached Elysia, purposefully making her footfalls heavier so as not to startle her further. Although it was for naught because as soon as she moved Elysia was aware of her presence.

She was no longer surprised by her mother's sudden appearance. She should have expected this even, after all her mother wasn't the type to let her children walk around with a weight on their shoulders. But that didn't stop her from quickly hiding her hands between the shifts in her clothing, hoping that her mother hadn't seen what had just happened.

But of course, her luck didn't run that deep.

"Elysia..."

Without turning in Frigga's direction, Elysia addressed her mother, "How strange it is that one decision made as a mere child could be so damaging." She rose from her perch on the ground, brushing the dirt off her knees as she went. "If I could go back and change it all, I think this world would be better for it."

The defeat in her tone was jarring. Elysia was the peacemaker, the bright sun that shined upon Asgard no matter what odds were stacked against them. But she was tired, tired of always having to play that particular role. For once she'd like to just live in the pain, make a home of it till it was all she knew.

But who would carry the weight if she bowed out?

She'd never let her brothers take on the responsibility of having to lift everyone up, they shouldn't have to. And how could she forget her soulmate who would eventually need her one day? Her parents weren't even a considerable option; Frigga had her hands busy with Odin who didn't know the first thing about keeping the peace.

No, she was the only one.

So it was time to suck it up and get on with things.

Finally turning to face her mother, she ignored the look of concern aimed in her direction. Resolve blazed within her as she stared Frigga down, "What am I?"

Although Frigga wanted nothing more than to get a grasp on what Elysia was feeling, she knew better than to push the matter. Deciding that today was a day for complete honesty, all she could do was admit the truth.

"I don't know but it's something new."

* * *

After realizing that her mother knew absolutely nothing about what was happening to her, Elysia quickly changed the subject. "We must prepare the people for war. Laufey will hold nothing back, they need to be aware of the dangers."

After what happened on Jotunheim Elysia was positive that Laufey would use every tool at his disposal against her. After all she had committed what was considered a cardinal sin to most. Although she hadn't killed his Queen it was clear Laufey didn't care for politics.

She would do it again though, there was nothing she'd change about that day. She avenged her Papa and protected Loki all in one fell swoop.

"Your father had mentioned that Laufey spoke of actions taken by both you and Thor. We know all too well about your brother's impulsiveness but we were surprised by your role in all this." Elysia tried to ignore Frigga's ignorant insult to her brother. Thor was impulsive, but it was a fact that didn't need to be stated every other second. "What did you do to gain Laufey's ire?"

Elysia had nothing to hide, the deed had already been done. "I killed his soulmate."

There was a bolt of silence that struck Frigga where she honestly thought she must have misheard her daughter. However the look on her face spoke volumes. Aghast, Frigga opened her mouth only to instantly close it when she remembered the stormy look that took up residence in Elysia's eyes when she showed her Gunnar's death all those years ago.

Suddenly the notion that Elysia killed Laufey's soulmate wasn't so shocking.

But knowing it was justified didn't exactly soothe Frigga's nerves, it just made the whole thing all the more real. Part of her hoped that she'd be able to talk Loki out of his plans for war, simply because the last one cost them so much. But if what Elysia said was true then Laufey's arrival in Asgard was inevitable.

Feeling much older than she was, Frigga sighed heavily as the severity of the situation finally hit her. "We must pray to the Allfathers that we all survive this."

"We're far past the point of prayers now mother. Besides, I don't think I need them anymore." Elysia turned and left her mother amidst the wreckage she had made of the forest. She walked with determination; purpose laced within every step she took.

In any case, she had to help Loki go win a war so they could bring Thor home.

* * *

AN: I wrote this little chapter for my dog Kodiak, who unfortunately had to be put down due to a sudden illness. He was my therapy dog and was helping me with my insomnia and PTSD. Every part of me wished I could bring him back, but unfortunately that's not how life works. So instead I wrote about a scenario, a world in which such things were possible, if only to help ease the pain in my heart just a little.

He was far too young to leave this world and although his time was short, the impact he had on my life is the exact opposite. I'll never forget my baby boy who was only capable of extreme love and unyielding loyalty.

So this is dedicated to Kodiak (February 23, 2016 - June 20, 2019); the sweetest boy and the best companion I could have ever asked for.

May you rest easy my little prince.


	15. Chapter 15

AN: So college started back up and I got a job so I've literally only recently had time to work on this and I'm so very sorry about that. Thank you for the kind comments regarding my dog; time has helped heal that wound. I just want to say that I'm definitely still working on this and have no plans to abandon it even though life is a bit hectic at the moment.

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Worlds Away**

Elysia had made it back to the throne room just in time to see the Warriors Three approaching the throne her brother sat upon with Sif by his side as the two conversed. She was still holding a grudge against Hogun for his misplaced accusations against Loki. However after what had just happened in the forest, Elysia refused to let herself become angered. Never again did she want to lose control the way she had; she was ashamed that she had allowed her emotions to get the best of her like that.

She watched on as the young men kept their heads down as they addressed who they thought was Odin, "Allfather, we must speak with you urgently." Part of her found humor in the situation, the fact that they were about to receive the shock of their lives, and the other part had an inkling as to what they were hoping to speak to her father about.

She'd already made her warning clear about what would happen if their thoughts about Loki were to continue, and if the words made their way out into the open she really would cut Hogun's tongue out. Her brother need not know about their baseless accusations; it would only cause him further hurt.

Loki and Sif both glanced up upon their entrance, taking note of Elysia hanging back in the shadows, and watched as three pairs of hands slowly dropped in utter confusion. And although he wanted to inquire why his sister was holding herself back, Loki also knew Elysia wasn't one to do things for no reason. If she wanted them to know of her presence she would have spoken by now.

With a perfectly open disposition Loki addressed his brother's group of friends, "My friends..." It was the only greeting he could think of that wouldn't publicly snub them. However before he could continue and ask what they needed his father for, Fandral decided it took too much effort to contain his questioning.

"Where's Odin?"

There was a way to phrase certain questions, especially ones of a sensitive nature, and this was not one of them. His tone was certainly not one others would have taken when speaking to their Prince.

And although Loki could have bristled at the impudence; something that was _never_ shown to his brother, he pushed away the frustration. "Father has fallen into the Odinsleep," Loki locked eyes with them to show he wasn't amused by their brashness, "mother fears he may never awaken again."

And although very few realized it, such a fate would have been a blessing upon Asgard.

But instead of finding understanding in his words, the three men exchanged pensive looks before Hogun once again opened his mouth and let stupidity run its course, "We would speak with her."

The demanding nature of his question had Elysia's brows furrowing. Did he not understand what it meant for Loki to be sitting upon the throne at the moment? These boys had no right to command anything of Loki, not even when he had been just a Prince. But now Frigga herself had handed her son the throne, had given him her approval on a silver platter.

Whatever concerns the three of them had would be easily dismissed by Frigga.

"She has decided not to leave my father's bedside."

In all honesty Elysia was surprised Loki had given them an explanation at all, especially when he was under no such obligation. It was a kindness on his part that the three warriors didn't seem to comprehend.

Loki on the other hand had come to expect this reaction. Thor's friends had never taken him or Elysia seriously before, believing their stance with Thor elevated them beyond a station of respect. They took certain liberties, subtle ones that Thor should have corrected in their youth, but thought nothing of. The result stood in front of him now; a sense of misplaced entitlement.

However, Loki knew it wasn't entirely their fault. This had been an abrupt change for everyone, so surely he could overlook their behavior on this occasion. "You can bring your urgent matter to me," Loki did his best to appear open, genuinely wanting to know what they needed.

Their timing was a bit atrocious; he had been in the middle of discussing how to prepare for Laufey's arrival with Sif. He decided to give the young woman the task of leading the planning. Loki knew it meant a great deal to Sif to be included; it showed she was thought of as the warrior she'd worked so hard to become.

Although that didn't mean he'd let her go into the fight alone. Sif was Thor's soulmate, a future sister should his brother ever pull his head from his ass and realize that he was indeed in love with her. While Elysia and him would never allow any harm to befall Sif they also knew they couldn't ask her to stay behind with their mother where it would be safe. Such a request would imply they didn't believe in her skills, and nothing could be further from the truth.

So instead the two siblings would need to ensure they never left her side.

Volstagg was the first among them to realize Loki was indeed their acting King, and hesitantly kneeled before the younger man while the other two slowly followed suit. It was a strange sensation for Loki to see them perched on their knees before him. If he were being honest, it made him a bit uncomfortable. How glad he would be when Thor came back and took the throne.

"My King, we would ask that you end Thor's banishment," Volstagg asked while warily meeting Loki's eyes.

The request took the siblings aback and even Sif stared at the Warriors Three in bewilderment. Why would they come to inquire about Thor? Sure, he was their friend and all, but he wasn't their family. Did they really for one second believe that Elysia and Loki had forgotten about their older brother?

Shaking off the confusion, Elysia could notice her brother's struggles. They knew what they had to do but not once did they think they'd have to explain it to others. It was simply none of their concern and the more she thought about it, the angrier she grew. Had she not already provided them with a sufficient answer?

"Perhaps you three have forgotten our earlier conversation."

The Warriors Three jumped at the sound of her voice and turned just in time to see her step out from the shadows behind them. It was easy to see that this conversation was unsettling them and not going the way they thought it would, but she really couldn't care less. They knew nothing about how banishment worked and yet they wanted to throw their opinion out there for all to hear.

Odin would have laughed at their ignorance.

"Father stripped him of his powers, that's not something we can undo, not while Odin still lives." If they noticed the use of his first name instead of father, they didn't comment on it. "War is coming and you suggest we bring our defenseless brother right into the middle of it? Thor is far safer in Midgard until this battle is over." Her countenance hardened at the idea that they'd allow anything to happen to their brother, "We will only bring him back once we are sure it is completely safe for him. Whether that be after Laufey is no longer a threat or when Odin passes and Thor's powers can be restored. Trust us; we have already considered every option. It is not easy nor natural for us to have him so far away, we would never do anything to lengthen his time away from us were it not necessary."

Sif understood their concern, she'd carried that same weight until Loki explained it to her. Sif had known that the siblings wouldn't forget about her soulmate, but she'd had no idea the amount of thought and planning that they had gone through until the younger Prince had reassured her. It helped to ease her mind that Thor's safety was the main concern.

The Warriors Three were thrown for a loop by the neutral expressions on Loki and Sif's faces during Elysia's speech. They'd thought out of everyone that Sif would be up in arms with them over Thor's return. Fandral opened his mouth, feeling the urge to question her strange reaction, but the sharp glint in the goddess' eyes told him to leave it well enough alone.

Hogun was still wary about Loki, his belief that the Jotuns needed someone with strong magic to enter Asgard. And who better than the God of Mischief, the sibling they knew the least about? However, Hogun had no desire to test Elysia, not after her threat and especially not after seeing what she could do on Jotunheim.

Not to mention Elysia barely tolerated them as it was, there was no scenario where she would stand to be questioned about something she believed they had no concern over. "In the meantime, I suggest you prepare yourselves for Laufey's arrival. We cannot afford what happened on Jotunheim to happen again. We must be ready this time."

Although the thought of another war with the Frost Giants made her anxious, she would not force her brother's hand. If this would bring him peace then she'd stand by his side. And if she were being honest this war was mostly her fault anyway. So she'd fight on the front lines and tear apart any Jotun who dared step foot in her home.

She'd finally let her people see what the royal family had hid for so long.

It was time to stop being a child, she had to become the Princess her people needed.

Sif nodded at her three male companions, a subtle display to indicate they'd been excused. There were already too many things to worry about without throwing another argument into the mix. The Warriors Three aggravated both siblings, so it would not be wise for the three men to linger in the throne room.

Tails somewhat tucked between their legs, more in confusion over how the conversation had deviated so drastically from the way they'd planned it, the Warriors Three turned and started to make their way to the door when they were stopped by Elysia's hand reaching out to grasp Hogun's arm.

Leaning in slightly, Elysia lowered her voice to deliver one final message, "Thor has been our brother long before he was your friend and he will be our brother long after you are gone. It has never been, nor will it ever be, your place to watch over him."

Elysia had not parted from Thor since the day of her birth and Loki from the day Odin brought him to Asgard. The three of them watched over each other and that would always be enough.

Removing her hand from Hogun's arm, Elysia leaned back and let them pass without further ado. Once she was sure the three had left the room, she made her way up to where her brother and Sif had already gone back to their planning. Seeing their focus and determination only cemented Elysia's desire to keep what happened in the forest a secret from them. There was simply no time to worry about her when war was on the horizon.

So she'd wait to tell them. Elysia would wait until Jotunheim had been defeated and Thor was back where he belonged. She'd address the issue when her world felt like it had some semblance of peace back in it.

Slipping her arm around Loki's waist, Elysia leaned against him and closed her eyes. She let his warmth and the soothing tones of his and Sif's voices calm her. For the moment all she could do was hope Thor was faring better than they thought and could hold on just a bit longer until they could come for him.

* * *

These Midgardians were strange.

After he'd awoken the two women and man helped him clean up, they'd showed him what was called a shower and provided him with adequate clothing. It wasn't an ideal situation by any means, but even Thor understood that things could have been worse.

The ones called Jane and Erik were persistent with their questions, like their issues were somehow more pressing than his. Could they not see he had bigger concerns than their storm? Although the one called Darcy was a bit of a mystery to him. The second he'd laid eyes on that one he had felt a faint bond; almost similar to the one he had with Elysia, though not nearly as strong.

Which was strange considering he'd never once seen this woman in his life. But his concern was on getting home, everything else would have to wait.

Although their incessant questioning was grating on his nerves, they had taken him to food for which he was grateful. But then this Jane had gotten upset after he'd thrown the cup to the floor and despite his efforts to calm her only his word that it wouldn't happen again finally made her let it go.

Midgardians and their strange customs.

Darcy on the other hand was fully invested in tall and blond who was shoveling pancakes into his mouth like he'd never eat again. However he was way too adorable to keep to herself, "Oh my god, this is going on Facebook." She held her camera up and hoped it would work, "Smile!"

Feeling some odd need to please the little Midgardian in front of him, Thor put the fork down and gave his best closed mouth smile seeing as there was still food in his mouth. The look of delight on her face pleased him. Had Thor not already met his soulmate he might have confused the feeling. But the bond he shared with Sif was so different that there was no mistaking something else for it. This was familial to the core and Thor had no clue why it had latched onto Darcy.

It was a feeling that increased tenfold right before the bell attached to the door behind him went off. Sighing because he really didn't want whatever this feeling was to increase, Thor warily turned to see what else this realm was going to throw at him.

Standing in the doorway was a bundled-up man; his hat covered up most of his face but couldn't contain the long strands of chocolate brown hair beneath.

* * *

Winter didn't know why he did it, didn't know what possessed him to walk into the fucking diner in the first place. He was supposed to be doing recon, simply keeping an eye on the man, but the words on his wrist demanded contact. And even though it went against all his training, Winter found himself shoving on a pair of gloves before opening the door to the small diner.

His plan was to subtly enter and sit down in the corner, that way he could see every movement from the seven people inside. A plan that was quickly thwarted when he looked up to see the blond already watching him.

Well _shit_ , there went stealth. So much for being a goddamn ghost.

Winter quickly looked away, reaching a gloved hand up to tuck his cap down tighter in an effort to draw attention away from the way his eyes darted around the room in surveillance. A quick glance was all he needed to determine none would pose any significant threat.

The two drunks on the barstool would need no more than a well-placed kick to the sternum to neutralize them.

The three females' necks would easily snap under the weight of his left arm, though his soul words sent a sharp jolt across his skin when his eyes ran over the small brunette whose wide fascinated eyes hid behind a pair of black rimmed glasses. For whatever reason his mark didn't like the idea of him harming that woman in particular, a similar burn had occurred when he'd first entertained the idea of killing them all. So he acquiesced and instead decided to simply choke her out should she become a problem. The lack of reaction from the words along his wrist cemented his resolve.

The older man in the group seemed weary and Winter didn't think he looked like much of a threat to anything. But either way, the knife in his boot would slide through the skin of his throat easily and with minimal effort should the need arise.

The blond was the only one whose physical stature could prove to be a challenge, but Winter had no intention of harming him. He felt protective over the man, which was the sole reason he was even in this diner, stupidly putting his cover at risk.

He'd really prefer not to kill anyone but if they got in his way, he wouldn't hesitate to eliminate them. He hadn't been trained to leave witnesses; witnesses meant evidence, and that was unacceptable. A lesson they'd burned into him years ago.

Making sure to keep his head angled towards the floor, Winter calmly made his way over to the corner booth, allowing him to keep eyes on the entire establishment. He was quickly beginning to wish he'd just stuck to the roof across the street rather than pretend he couldn't feel the blond's eyes trained on him. Winter tensed when the older woman, with a name tag bearing the name Izzy, came wandering over in his direction.

Her smile was sweet and her tone was warm and Winter almost regretted the way he'd planned her death out no longer than a minute ago. "Can I get ya anything sugar? Maybe a cup of coffee to start?"

Wanting to avoid all avenues of being identified here, Winter chose to nod instead of speak. He didn't really know what coffee was supposed to be, but if it meant she walked away he'd agree to let her bring whatever. With another wide smile Izzy turned and made her way back to the counter to pour the drink. Meanwhile Winter refused to settle until she came back to place a steaming cup in front of him, the smell of it actually more pleasant than he previously thought. The plates in his arm creaked subtly as he minutely relaxed once Izzy walked away with a request that he let her know if he wanted anything else.

The cup almost felt like a taunt. He wouldn't drink it; that wasn't something allowed. Hydra had a habit of forgetting to feed him and had simply decided to use an IV to pump nutrients into his veins instead since it was easier for them. He doubted his body would respond well to whatever this drink was.

The sharp squeal of a chair sliding back against the floor rung out and Winter's eyes flew from the cup to the blond who was suddenly coming his way. For a brief moment something akin to panic flooded his body; what the fuck was he supposed to do? He hadn't planned on approaching the man anytime soon, this was not supposed to happen.

Unable to look away, Winter watched speechlessly as the tall blond slowly came to a stop right beside him, his large stature giving him the ability to loom over Winter. The words on his right wrist buzzed with energy the closer the man had got, as though they wanted to leap off him and clash into the blond.

Winter couldn't help but sit up straighter when the man opened his mouth, anticipation filling his bones as he prepared himself for the oncoming words that could change his whole life. He'd waited decades, spent every moment aching for what could come, and now that it had the potential of finally being here, he felt woefully unprepared.

"Greetings Midgardian."

 _Oh._

Instantly Winter lowered his eyes in blatant disappointment, the sharp sting of defeat entering his bones. How stupid of him to believe finding his mate would be so easy. He clenched his jaw in an effort to keep whatever the burning sensation in his eyes was from continuing.

Turning to look up at the man who was decidedly _not_ his soulmate, Winter was faced with the most hopeful look he'd ever seen. The feeling of protection had not faded in the slightest since the revelation and Winter found that he couldn't dismiss the man even if he wanted to.

"Midgardian?" His voice was slightly cracked from underuse but the words were still clear. Mentally berating himself through ever word, Winter wondered how the fuck he got himself into this situation where he was actively conversing with anyone outside of his handler and contact.

Stunned, Winter watched as the man slid into the seat across from him with no hesitation, "Oh, my apologies. Is that an offensive term? Would you prefer human? I am unfamiliar with your people's current customs."

None of it made any fucking sense to Winter, but then again not much did so for all knew this man could be making perfectly logical sense. "Um, Midgardian seems fine," Winter hoped he said the right thing and by the answering smile he received in return he supposed he did.

"What is your name young one?"

Before he could even question what the hell this man meant by young when he didn't look much older himself, that piercing voice came back with a vengeance and rattled loudly in his brain.

 _James._

Winter had to take a second to squeeze his eyes shut as pain flared across his temple. That voice always brought pain. It always came without warning and left him a wreck, and more often than not if he ever repeated what that voice said, he'd end up back in that chair with that mouthguard the only thing keeping his teeth from gnashing and breaking while lightning lit up his world.

 _Our name is James._

It felt like taking a sledgehammer to the head; multiple times. "James." In an effort to shut that fucking voice up the name slipped from his lips, "My name is James."

There was finally silence. Winter basked in the reprieve, not paying the name any attention. He didn't know who the hell James was or why his broken piece of shit head was so adamant about using it, but even he had to admit it was better than Winter. Winter wasn't a name; it was a title. It was the only thing he knew himself as, but that wasn't something he could explain to the man in front of him.

The Winter Soldier.

The Asset.

The Weapon.

That's who he was, he did not have a name beyond that. But perhaps in this diner, sitting with this man, he could be James for a little while.

Unaware of his internal plight the man smiled and tapped his chest, "I am Thor, son of Odin." He used the same hand to then brush a strand of hair away from his eyes, the words lining his right wrist entering Winter's eyesight. The familiar markings stealing his sole attention.

 _Heill minn buðlungr._

In an instant Winter's world narrowed down to those three words; words in a language he'd been chasing after every time he came out of cryofreeze. Suddenly this Thor had become his sole clue. Maybe this had been why he'd felt so strongly after seeing him the first time. Maybe life was finally giving him an inch here.

 _Mission: Follow and identify this 'son of Odin'._

This Thor was an answer and Winter wasn't about to give it up; not for anything. For the first time that he could remember his mate seemed reachable. It was like he could almost feel her in his grasp and he would be damned if he let this chance slip away.

She was his and he was hers; whatever he had to do to find her, however much blood he needed to soak his hands in, none of it mattered. All he cared about was finding her.

 _Mission: Complete._

A flood of determination struck Winter and he looked up to lock eyes with Thor, who was none the wiser to his revelation. Suddenly, coming to New Mexico was the best damn thing he'd ever done and he wouldn't rest until he had information about this language and where it came from. Those words would lead him to his soulmate; of that he was sure.

Trying to imitate the man's smile, Winter gently nodded his head, "Nice to meet you Thor."

 _Mission: Follow Thor and find mate._

* * *

AN: So the translation of Thor's words are "Hello my Prince," which I thought would be appropriate since they met when they were younger and Sif would have been trained to address the siblings respectfully and with their titles before they realized she was his soulmate. In later chapters you'll get to see what Sif's words are as well as Loki's.

Athena05: The reason Elysia won't bring back Laufey's soulmate is because it would defeat the purpose of taking him away in the first place. Elysia killed him because she needed to take the attention off of Loki and because that creature killed her father and inadvertently her mother as well. It may be selfish of her, but she won't give anything to the man who caused her parents' pain and took them from her. Also, Loki's going to go to war regardless of what Elysia does, after what Odin said he truly thinks it's the only way he'll find peace. Plus Elysia, Loki, Sif, and Frigga are pretty badass and confident about their chances.


End file.
